Mois : septembre 2017

The Fourth Meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Working Group on Energy statistics (EMWGES) will be held in Paris on the 28 September 2017. This meeting will allow ENP-S Countries to present and discuss the main evolutions in their statistical systems on energy and to assess the main progress achieved in the production and dissemination of energy statistics since the last meeting of the working group a year ago. MEDSTAT IV covers the three areas of energy balances, final energy consumption surveys and energy efficiency indicators.

The meeting will also allow to take stock of the implementation of the work programme and to confirm or adjust it for the period 2017-2018.

Finally, the Fourth Meeting of the EMWGES) will give the opportunity to discuss horizontal matters such as the design of infographics related to Energy statistics and the adoption of indicators for monitoring the implementation of the work programme in the sector.

This meeting will be preceded by a two-day regional workshop on Final Energy Consumption surveys in the Transport sector. Final energy consumption is an aspect of energy balances that is not always well covered by the statistical systems in the ENP-S countries. The transport sector is a major consumer of energy products and estimating its contribution to the final energy consumption of a country may greatly help in increasing the quality and relevance of the energy statistics.

The main objective of this workshop is to share experiences and to outline possible actions for the production of harmonized final energy consumption statistics across the region. It will largely be based on the experience of several partner countries who have already implemented a Final Energy Consumption survey in the Transport sector.

All these surveys have been implemented on the basis of noticeably different methodological approaches, reflecting national specificities in terms of transport systems and statistical methodologies. They will be presented and compared in order to draw collective lessons and to identify areas of convergence with a view to fostering harmonization and helping other ENP-S Countries define the terms of a future survey in this area. The presentation of international recommendations and the sharing of the experience of one EU Member State will also be key to the achievement of these objectives.

Training has always been an integral component of MEDSTAT and this is still the case with MEDSTAT IV. As there are other existing channels for organising/funding training activities in the region, it was decided that MEDSTAT IV would not address topics already covered by other organisations or programmes and would focus on topics that are innovative or are in great demand in the ENP-S countries. Beyond the risk of duplication, another key concern of MEDSTAT IV is to deliver training courses which may have a solid and sustainable impact on the statistical capacities of the ENP-S countries and which can effectively contribute to increasing these capacities in the NSIs and other partners in the NSSs of the ENP-S countries.

The potential impact of a training is enhanced when the training activity provides an effective and operational answer or solution to a situation faced by a person and/or by an organisation. A sound analysis of the situation and of the training needs both at the institutional and individual levels are the fundamental pillars for a quality training. It is necessary to analyse the needs that are behind the demand for a training course in order to adjust it as closely as possible with the countries strategies in the selected topics. In that way, the usefulness and the impact of the training are both increased.

A strategy to transfer the newly acquired skills and multiply the knowledge after a training is also a solution to sustain the after effects of a training. It entails that the participants to a training course share their newly acquired knowledge within their institutions in an effective manner.

In the first semester of 2017, the MEDSTAT IV training team tested an approach that aims at ensuring that the investment made has a real impact on capacity building and that the delivery of the courses are as efficient as possible. Two training courses were prepared and delivered according to this approach and it is time now to analyse the results achieved, draw lessons and discuss further development for training under the remaining life of MEDSTAT IV.

These are the issues that will be discussed during the workshop that will gather the people responsible for training in the NSIs of the ENP-S countries as well as partners and regional organisations supporting and providing statistical training in the region, namely Eurostat, SESRIC, AITRS and Paris 21.

To learn more on this activity, please contact MEDSTATIV@ExpertiseFrance.fr

MEDSTAT IV is being implemented in close collaboration between the project’s experts and the representatives of the country leaders for the sectors. This new “participative” and collaborative approach requires a transfer of techniques, tools and processes to the ENP-S countries in the areas of group management and leadership, project management (including reporting, monitoring and evaluation) and meeting chairmanship and facilitation. During the life of MEDSTAT IV, the Lead and co-Lead coordinators are supported by the project’s KEs in all the tasks relating to the implementation of the project’s activities for the sector they cover.

 

Countries volunteered to become lead coordinators in 2013 for the six thematic sectors cover by MEDSTAT IV and for training. At the last Forum meeting (Malta, May 16-17), the ENP-S countries volunteered to also take the Lead and co-Lead for the horizontal sectors of Visibility (Egypt and Tunisia) and Gender (Jordan). As per today, there are 14 Lead and Co-lead coordinators from the ENP-S countries involved in the implementation of the project’s activities.

 

In general, the Lead coordinators are not familiar with the techniques of group management and leadership. This was clear during the 1^st workshop that was organised with them in September 2016. This 1^st workshop focused on basic communication techniques and tools and was very much appreciated by the participants. However, the impact of the training remained limited to the improvement of the personal capacities of the participants.

 

In the course of the second part of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, the project deepened the discussion with the Lead countries at the occasion of the visits the project’s Team leader made in the countries as well as through discussion and contacts taken in the framework of the preparation of the PNC and Forum meetings 2017. In particular, the point was made that the sharing of responsibility in the implementation of the project should be taken as an involvement of countries (Lead countries) and not only of individuals (Lead coordinators nominated by the countries). While it was agreed upon that the training and sensitization of the Lead coordinators should be pursued, it should take a more institutional form, making sure that what was transferred to the Lead coordinators would then help strengthening capacity within the NSIs of the Lead countries.

 

The meeting will gather all the Lead coordinators as well as representatives from the Direction of the NSIs of the ENP-S countries. This will allow discussing the practical issues linked to the Lead coordination but also to bring them in the larger context of capacity strengthening in the NSIs.

 

To learn more on this activity, please contact MEDSTATIV@ExpertiseFrance.fr