A snapshot of the 25

Over 350 pages, 400 plates, graphics, charts, analysis of the data and comparisons with other non-EU countries, such as the USA and Japan: the Eurostat Statistical Yearbook contains a “snapshot” of the EU-25, excluding statistical data on the most recent accession states, Bulgaria and Romania. The text, divided into 14 chapters, interprets the situation in various sectors “including population, education, health and living conditions” in the member states; it also provides statistical data on the “labour market, economy, science & technology, energy, environment, agriculture and fishing”. CONFIRMATIONS AND SURPRISES. The Director General of the Statistics Institute of the European Union, HERVÉ CARRÉ , explains the purpose of the Yearbook and, more generally, the complex activity of Eurostat, which each year produces hundreds of surveys and millions of data: “Democratic societies – he says – cannot function in an efficient way without a sound and objective statistical basis”. The thick publication contains statistics relating to the life of individuals and families, comparisons between the national situations of member countries, and “measurement” of the effectiveness of some national policies, such as those for social protection, pensions, and investments in education. In various cases the Yearbook confirms already well-known phenomena (e.g. the progressive ageing of the population). But it also contains some surprises. It is virtually impossible to condense all the data of the volume, but some indicative findings can be drawn from it, while referring the reader for further details to the original text, entitled “Europein figures – Eurostat yearbook 2006/07”, available only in English for the time being (it can be downloaded from the website http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu); for the translation into French and German we will have to wait until the second half of the year.FROM TODAY TO 2050. “Europe in Figures” devotes a long chapter, for instance, to the demographic situation of the continent. The population of the EU-25 is now approaching half a billion inhabitants, whereas in 1960 it did not reach 380 million. But the distribution of citizens is unequal on the territory of the old continent: the average population density is roughly 110 inhabitants per square kilometre; it rises to 480 in the Netherlands and to 500 in Malta; in Germany it is 220. France fully conforms to the European average, while in Sweden population density plummets to 20 and in Finland, a land of lakes, forests and ice, it is no higher than 10 inhabitants per square km. The Yearbook makes some interesting projections for the population in the years to come: in 2050 the EU-25 should contain – if current trends and correlated forecasts are confirmed – less than 450 million citizens. The population of Belgium is stable, that of Germany and the Czech Republic is sharply contracting. “The countries that are implementing concrete policies in support of families with children are being “rewarded” in this field: Holland, Sweden, France and Great Britain. WHERE DO PEOPLE LIVE LONGER? “Life expectancy” is another parameter to measure – as far as is possible – the quality of life, also in relation to the environmental context, livelihood, profession, available income, the healthcare services provided by the country in question, diet and other factors. If we take into consideration the decade from 1995 to 2004, the life expectancy for males in the EU-25 rose from 72.6 to 75.6 years; for women, famous for living longer, from 79.5 to 81.7 years. In this case, too, the disparities between the four corners of the continent are considerable: on average people live longer in Spain and France (over 77 the men, almost 84 the women); at the bottom of the longevity table are Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary (here men have a life expectancy of 68.6, women 76.9 years).HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND FOR… To understand the “lifestyle” of the Europeans it is possible to follow another indicator, that of the analysis of family budgets. The Yearbook ascertains that 21% of the income of households in the EU is allocated to rents, mortgages or utility bills; the second major item in expenditure is that of transport, private or public (13.5%). Food only comes in third place (12.7%). This is followed closely by “entertainment” (9.7%) and expenditures on hotels and restaurants (8.8%), indicative of the growing attention to leisure time in Europe. At the bottom of the household expenditure table are costs for education and culture: 1%. Glancing through the Yearbook, we also discover that over 40% of the European population of over-15 is overweight, while obesity affects one person in ten. Most problems in terms of obesity are encountered in men; in particular “approximately half adult males in Greece and Austria are overweight”, while in Malta a quarter of all men are obese. In the chapter devoted to “education” it emerges that “English is the foreign language studied by 85% of students in senior secondary schools”. The second most studied language is French (23% of students), followed by German (17%). The Yearbook also provides comparative charts on the cost of petrol in the various Eu countries: leadless euro-super 95 costs 0.83 euro per litre in Latvia, but 1.40 euro in Holland.