| Starting from this year’s edition of the Statistical Yearbook, the chapter “International surveys” published before is and will be further replaced with the chapter “International comparisons”, new in terms of contents. The former “International surveys” were based on different sources of data which were not always governed by the same methodology. Hence, starting from the year 2004, the CZSO provides its users with several indicators in which uniform methodology of compilation for international comparisons is ensured. Included among them are also structural indicators compiled by Eurostat from national statistics regularly transmitted there; some data are also supplied by international organizations (e.g. OECD and the European Central Bank). With the help of these structural indicators, the fulfilment of the objectives laid down in the Lisbon Strategy, which was approved by the Council of the European Union in March 2000, is monitored and evaluated. In March 2000 the European Union set a strategic goal “of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”. The structural indicators include a total of 42 key indicators from six areas. Their selection for the Statistical Yearbook is based on the short list of structural indicators which comprises 14 most important structural indicators and which is supposed to receive no changes in the three years to come. The indicators are arranged according to the areas they pertain to: general economic background (Tables 26-1 and 26-2), employment (Tables 26-3 to 26-8), innovation and research (Tables 26-9 to 26-12), economic reform (Tables 26-13 and 26-14), social cohesion (Tables 26-15 to 26-20), and the environment (Tables 26-21 to 26-23). Some indicators are broken down by sex. The individual countries whose indicator values are compared in the tables are arranged according to different geopolitical groups and then alphabetically according to their Czech names (see the end of the methodological introduction to this chapter for the English equivalents of the Czech names). The names are given in abbreviated forms. ‘EU 15’ refers to the European Union of 15 countries (by 30 April 2004: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom). ‘Eurozone (11 countries)’ refers to the territory of the EU Member States which adopted the euro as the common currency in compliance with the Treaty establishing the European Community. The special supreme session of the European Union held in May 1998 stated that eleven of its countries had qualified for the introduction of the common “Euro” (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain). The exchange rates of the currencies of these countries to the euro were permanently fixed as of the end of 1998 in the form of conversion coefficients. In 2001, these countries were joined by Greece and Eurozone (11 countries) has been ‘Eurozone (12 countries)’ since. On 1 January 2002, the euro in the form of notes and coins was put in use in twelve countries of the European Union. ‘Acceding countries’ refers to the countries that joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 (Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia). ‘Candidate countries’ refers to the countries that strive for the accession to the European Union (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey). ‘Other countries’ supplement the comparison by another 2 European countries (EFTA members) for which comparable data are available (Iceland and Norway) and developed economies (Japan and the United States). Notes on tables Table 26-1. GDP per capita: in PPS Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS), EU 15=100. The volume index of GDP per capita is expressed as a percentage of the average for the EU according to the state before 1 May 2004 (i.e. for EU 15). The data used to calculate the index are expressed in PPS, i.e. in a common currency that eliminates the differences in price levels between countries and allows comparing volume (real) indicators between countries – i.e. cross-country comparisons rather than comparisons in time. Table 26-2. Labour productivity: per person employed GDP in PPS per person employed relative to the EU 15 (EU 15=100). Tables 26-3 to 26-5. Employment rate: total, males, females Employed persons aged 15-64 as a share of the total population of the same age group. Employed men aged 15-64 as a share of the total male population of the same age group. Employed women aged 15-64 as a share of the total female population of the same age group. Tables 26-6 to 26-8. Employment rate of older workers: total, males, females Employed persons aged 55-64 as a share of the total population of the same age group. Employed men aged 55-64 as a share of the total male population of the same age group. Employed women aged 55-64 as a share of the total female population of the same age group. Table 26-9. Gross domestic expenditure on research and development Gross domestic expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP. Tables 26-10 to 26-12. Youth educational attainment level: total, males, females Percentage of the population aged 20-24 having completed at least upper secondary education. Percentage of the male population aged 20-24 having completed at least upper secondary education. Percentage of the female population aged 20-24 having completed at least upper secondary education. Table 26-13. Comparative price levels Comparative price levels of final consumption by private households including indirect taxes (EU 15=100). Tables 26-15 to 26-17. Dispersion of regional employment rates: total, males, females Coefficient of variation of employment rates across regions (NUTS 2 level) within countries. Coefficient of variation of employment rates of men across regions (NUTS 2 level) within countries. Coefficient of variation of employment rates of women across regions (NUTS 2 level) within countries. The indicator is not applicable to Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and Slovenia, as these countries are composed of one or two NUTS levels only. Tables 26-18 to 26-20. Long-term unemployment rate: total, males, females Long-term unemployed (12 months and more) as a percentage of the total active population aged 15-64. Long-term unemployed men (12 months and more) as a percentage of the male active population aged 15-64. Long-term unemployed women (12 months and more) as a percentage of the female active population aged 15-64. Table 26-21. Greenhouse gas emissions Total emissions of 6 greenhouse gases listed in the Kyoto Protocol converted into an aggregate value using CO2 equivalents and expressed by means of indices as a percentage change since the base year of 1990 (i.e. index 1990=100). The indicator is compiled to monitor the fulfilment of the targets to reduce the emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol and the Council Decision 2002/358/EC for the years 2008-2012. Table 26-22. Energy intensity of the economy Gross inland consumption of energy divided by GDP (at constant prices, 1995=100) expressed in kgoe (kilograms of oil equivalent) per EUR 1 000. Table 26-23. Volume of freight transport relative to GDP Index of inland freight transport volume relative to GDP, measured in tonne-km/GDP (at constant 1995 euro), 1995=100.
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The complete set of the structural indicators is available on the CZSO’s web pages:
Further information concerning international comparisons released in this chapter in previous years will be brought out in a separate publication not listed in the CZSO’s Catalogue of Publications 2004 and on the CZSO’s website | 