Short-term statistics

PURPOSE : to improve short-term EU business statistics.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Regulation 1158/2005/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation 1165/98/EC concerning short-term statistics.

CONTENT : the Council adopted a Regulation designed to improve short-term EU business statistics. The Regulation provides in particular for an import price index for industrial products and a production price index for services. Certain major economic indicators will also be measured at more frequent intervals and forwarded earlier. Short-term statistics provide the European Central Bank with the information that it requires to conduct monetary policy. The Regulation follows from the Action Plan on Economic and Monetary Union Statistical Requirements, which stressed the need to improve the statistics covered by Regulation 1165/98, which has now been amended accordingly.

More specifically, European sample schemes shall be established when national sample schemes do not meet  the European requirements. Furthermore, Member States may opt to take part in European sample schemes when such schemes create possibilities for substantial reductions in the cost of the statistical system or the burden on business which meeting the European requirements entails. Participation in a European sample scheme shall satisfy the conditions of a Member State for the supply of the variable concerned according to the objective of such a scheme. European sample schemes may target the conditions, the level of detail and the deadlines for data transmission.

Compulsory surveys shall be used to obtain information that is not already available (within the required timelines) in other sources, such as registers. Surveys shall be performed using electronic questionnaires and web-questionnaires where applicable. The quality of the variables shall be tested regularly by comparing them with other statistical information, such comparison to be effected by each Member State and the Commission (Eurostat). In addition they shall be checked for internal consistency. Quality evaluation shall be carried out comparing the benefits of the availability of the data with the costs of collection and the burden on businesses, especially on small enterprises. For the purpose of this evaluation, Member States shall transmit to the Commission, at its request, the necessary information according to a common European methodology developed by the Commission in close cooperation with the Member States.

The Commission, after consulting the Statistical Programme Committee, shall publish by 11 February 2006 an advisory methodological manual which explains the rules set out in the Annexes and also contains guidance concerning short-term statistics

Lastly, the Commission shall, by 11 August 2008 and again every three years thereafter, submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the statistics compiled pursuant to this Regulation and in particular on their relevance and quality and the revision of indicators. The report shall also specifically address the cost of the statistical system and the burden on business arising from this Regulation in relation to its benefits. It shall report on best practices for lessening the burden on business and shall indicate ways of reducing the burden and costs

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 11/08/2005.