Steps

Phase 1: 1996 – 2002 (€20 million)

In 1996, a number of exploratory missions were carried out in the 12 countries initially in the programme. As a result of the priorities identified during these missions, 9 MEDSTAT sub-programmes were established: external trade, environment, transport, migration, tourism, national accounts, non-observed economy; and two horizontal sub-programmes: training and information systems.  The MEDSTAT-Environment Programme began in 1999. It focused on:

• diagnosis of the existing statistical systems
• gathering and assessment of "basic" environmental statistics
• developing three priority topics: water, waste and land-use

Phase 2: 2003 – 2006 (€30 million)

MEDSTAT II includes two new sub-programmes: MED-SOC (social statistics) and MED-AGRI (agriculture). The aims are to consolidate the results of the first programme and to further its scope (social indicators, agriculture, etc.). This will enable the production of a harmonised series of statistics over a period of time that is meaningful at both national and regional levels, and so provide an essential tool to accompany the establishment of free trade.

The main focus in MEDSTAT-Environment is on air emission pollutants, biodiversity and the calculation of sustainable development indicators.