News 25 Feb 2021

Supplemented source data on primary income from abroad may have an effect on general government financial balance

Statistics Finland and Eurostat are currently assessing the supplemented source data on primary income received from abroad by employment pension schemes and its recording. These entries may have an effect especially on the financial balance, current account, financial accounts and gross national income of employment pension schemes and general government.

The supplemented data under assessment concern income from mutual fund shares from abroad classified as dividends of employment pension schemes. Its methodological treatment and possible changes to its recording may have an effect on key figures for 2017 to 2020.

Eurostat examines the general government deficit and debt figures reported by each member state to ensure that the recording practices of different countries are consistent. Data on government deficit and debt are based on the National Accounts and they are delivered to the European Commission twice a year as part of the excessive deficit procedure (EDP). An updated version of the methodological handbook that steers the compilation of the statistics was published in 2019.

Further information:
Senior Statistician Jukka Pyylampi tel. +358 50 478 3247, Senior Statistician Olli-Pekka Aaltonen tel. +358 29 551 3090