Sunday

10th Dec 2023

Eurostat experience highlights doubts over Greek data

New figures released by the EU's statistics office – Eurostat – on Thursday (22 October), provide fresh information on EU government deficit levels for 2008, but also point towards Greek political manipulation of the country's economic data.

According to the new figures, average EU27 budget levels for 2008 were minus 2.3 percent of GDP, a further drop from the minus 0.8 percent figure recorded in 2007.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Greece has revised its deficit figures for 2008 (Photo: European Commission)

But the figures come with the following caveat: "Eurostat has expressed a reservation on the data reported by Greece due to significant uncertainties over the figures notified by the Greek statistical authorities."

Eurostat officials in Brussels on Thursday (21 October) explained how, just a day earlier, they had received a new "notification" from the Greek authorities consisting of several pages of tables of revised data.

With insufficient time to fully examine the new figures, Eurostat officials were forced to include the caveat.

Manipulation?

Based on data supplied by the Greek statistics office, Eurostat in April put the Greek budget deficit for 2008 at 5 percent of GDP. Now, based on the fresh data, they put it at 7.7 percent, a jump that exceeds any other member state.

The new figures also makes Greece the holder of the largest annual deficit relative to GDP for 2008.

Observers says the revision is a clear attempt by the new Greek Socialist government, ushered in after a snap election on 4 October, to offload some of this year's anticipated national debt into last year's figures associated with the former centre-right administration.

The problem is that Brussels has seen the Greek figure-fiddling game all before and is thoroughly fed up with it.

A change of Greek government in 2004, that time from the Socialist PASOK party to the centre-right New Democracy party, brought about a similar scenario.

At a meeting of EU finance ministers earlier this week, several senior financial figures expressed their frustration at the returning story of Greek data manipulation, a phenomenon more associated with South America than the European Union.

"We want to know what has happened and why it has happened," said the EU's economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia in reaction to revised deficit figures provided by the Greek central bank, this time for 2009.

Member states have an obligation to provide accurate data to Eurostat twice a year, with exasperated agency officials explaining that it is not their job to check every local government account book in the different member states.

Funding shortage

Another problem for the newly elected Greek government is how to appease both the financial markets and the country's citizens.

With Greek coffers running low, the government is expected to turn to the market before the end of the year with a new bond issuance of several billion euros.

But investors will demand a high premium if the government is not seen to introduce deficit cutting measures, with spreads between Greek and German bonds hitting record highs this year before receding again.

Already this month, two ratings agencies have warned the new government that it must cut public spending and push through long-delayed structural reforms if it is to avoid a downgrade.

Spending cuts and tax increases however are unlikely to be popular with Greek citizens as their country enters recession while other countries appear to be returning to growth.

The election campaign saw the socialists promise a new €3 billion stimulus package, to be funded by money clawed back from tax evasion. But money saved from tax evasion is unlikely to be enough.

Greece scores worst in corruption ranking

Greece is perceived as the most corrupt among EU countries, along with Bulgaria and Romania, an annual corruption perception ranking released on Tuesday by Transparency International shows.

Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief

With less than a month to go before the start of a new leadership of the European Investment Bank, the world's largest multilateral lender, the path seems finally clear for one of the candidates, Spanish finance minister Nadia Calviño.

Analysis

Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

While some strengths may have been overlooked recently, leading to a more pessimistic outlook on the EU and the euro area than the truly deserve, are there reasons for optimism?

Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief

With less than a month to go before the start of a new leadership of the European Investment Bank, the world's largest multilateral lender, the path seems finally clear for one of the candidates, Spanish finance minister Nadia Calviño.

Analysis

Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

While some strengths may have been overlooked recently, leading to a more pessimistic outlook on the EU and the euro area than the truly deserve, are there reasons for optimism?

Latest News

  1. How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
  2. Many problems to solve in Dubai — honesty about them is good
  3. Sudanese fleeing violence find no haven in Egypt or EU
  4. How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?
  5. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  6. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  7. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  8. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us