Synergies between the sector of energy statistics and the sector of transport statistics in the Southern Mediterranean countries were at the centre of discussions during a regional workshop organised in Brussels last week by the EU-funded MEDSTAT IV project. The Workshop gathered statisticians from the National Statistical Institutes and from the Energy and Transport Ministries. The challenge was to discuss how the two sectors could collaborate to develop new performance indicators in these two sectors, in relation in particular with specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participants from each sector presented in turn what they were doing in addressing the monitoring of performance in their area. This was the occasion to discuss previous achievements regarding Energy efficiency indicators for the energy sector and the Economic performance indicators for the transport sector in each country.

The dialogue benefited from experiences and lessons brought by representatives from the International Transport Forum at the OECD (ITF-OECD) regarding transport performance indicators, as well as from the International Energy Agency regarding recommendations for the production of energy efficiency indicators and from the Environment and Sustainable Development Ministry from France regarding the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the system of monitoring indicators for the SDGs developed in this European country.

At the end of 3 fruitful days of exchange, the mutual understanding was dramatically increased between the two sectors and participants agreed on strengthening the production of key indicators in their respective sectors and working together in their respective countries on the production of specific common indicators addressing energy efficiency in the transport sector. They also recommended that the cooperation between the two sectors of the project be continued and intensified through more common regional events and joint outputs such as a MEDSTAT IV publication on Energy and transport performance in the perspective of SDGs.

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Press release

MEDSTAT IV website