Friday, December 19, 2014
Tweet[IWS] Eurostat: USER GUIDE ON EUROPEAN STATISTICS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS - 2014 EDITION [19 December 2014]
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European Commission
Eurostat
USER GUIDE ON EUROPEAN STATISTICS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS - 2014 EDITION [19 December 2014]
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-manuals-and-guidelines/-/KS-GQ-14-014
or
[full-text, 68 pages]
The purpose of this Guide is to explain to a wide range of users how the statistics relating to trade in goods, both between EU Member States and with non-EU countries, are collected, compiled, processed and published at European level. The different issues are tackled in a question and answer format.
Contents
Contents ............................................................................................................................................................3
Abbreviations....................................................................................................................................................6
1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................7
1.1 What is the purpose of this User Guide?...............................................................................................7
1.2 Which other documents should be read in conjunction with this guide?...............................................7
2 Background information.............................................................................................................................8
2.1 What are European statistics on international trade in goods? .............................................................8
2.2 Who uses ITGS and what for?...............................................................................................................8
2.2.1 Types of users and requirements................................................................................................8
2.2.2 Use of trade data by other statistical fields..................................................................................8
2.3 Who is responsible for European ITGS? ...............................................................................................9
2.4 Where can I find the rules governing European ITGS?.........................................................................9
2.4.1 EU legislation on ITGS ................................................................................................................9
2.4.2 International recommendations and provisions relevant to ITGS .............................................10
3 Scope of ITGS............................................................................................................................................12
3.1 How do you define the areas involved in international trade in goods? ..............................................12
3.2 Which goods are included in ITGS? ....................................................................................................12
3.3 Which goods are excluded from ITGS?...............................................................................................12
3.4 Which transactions are outside the scope of ITGS? ...........................................................................12
3.5 Which movements of goods are included in intra-EU trade? ..............................................................13
3.6 Which movements of goods are included in extra-EU trade? .............................................................13
4 Data collection...........................................................................................................................................14
4.1 Extrastat and Intrastat: two data collection systems for ITGS.............................................................14
4.2 Who provides the statistical information? ............................................................................................14
4.3 How do you choose which data to collect?..........................................................................................14
4.3.1 Using thresholds in Extrastat.....................................................................................................14
4.3.2 Using thresholds in Intrastat......................................................................................................15
4.4 How are data collected? ......................................................................................................................15
4.5 What information is recorded for each transaction?............................................................................15
4.6 When are movements of goods recorded? .........................................................................................16
4.7 How is the partner country defined and classified?.............................................................................17
4.8 How are goods classified?...................................................................................................................17
4.9 Are there specific rules for particular types of goods or movements?.................................................18
4.10 What are the measurement units?.......................................................................................................18
4.10.1 Trade value................................................................................................................................19
4.10.2 Net mass and supplementary quantity ......................................................................................19
5 Data compilation........................................................................................................................................20
5.1 How do you account for the intra-EU trade data not collected? ..........................................................20
5.1.1 Estimating missing trade ...........................................................................................................20
5.1.2 Estimating statistical value ........................................................................................................20
5.1.3 Estimating net mass ..................................................................................................................20
5.2 Why are some of the ITGS confidential?.............................................................................................21
5.2.1 What are ‘confidential data’? .....................................................................................................21
5.2.2 Which rules apply? ....................................................................................................................21
5.2.3 To which data elements does confidentiality apply? .................................................................21
5.2.4 How does confidentiality apply to partner countries?................................................................21
5.2.5 How does product confidentiality apply?...................................................................................22
5.3 What data are sent to Eurostat and when? .........................................................................................22
5.4 When are data revised and considered as final? ................................................................................23
5.5 What are the main reasons for revising data?.....................................................................................23
5.6 What data does Eurostat compile?......................................................................................................24
5.6.1 Unit value and volume indices...................................................................................................24
5.6.2 Data adjusted for working days and seasonal components......................................................24
6 Data quality ................................................................................................................................................26
6.1 Accuracy ..............................................................................................................................................26
6.1.1 How accurate are ITGS?...........................................................................................................26
6.1.2 How is data quality checked and monitored?............................................................................26
6.1.3 What are the main causes of errors in reporting? .....................................................................26
6.1.4 What is the impact of the Intrastat simplification measures? ....................................................27
6.2 Why are there differences in the various sources of ITGS?................................................................27
6.2.1 Why do asymmetries always exist? ..........................................................................................27
6.2.2 What are the methodological causes of asymmetries?.............................................................27
6.2.3 Why is the intra-EU trade balance not equal to zero?...............................................................28
6.2.4 Why are breaks in time series unavoidable?.............................................................................28
6.2.5 Why can European data differ from national data?...................................................................29
6.2.6 Why do ITGS differ from trade in goods in BoP and national accounts?..................................30
6.3 Where can I find more information on the quality of European ITGS?................................................31
7 Data publication.........................................................................................................................................32
7.1 What classifications are used? ............................................................................................................32
7.1.1 Product classifications ...............................................................................................................32
7.1.2 Country classification.................................................................................................................33
7.1.3 Classification by activity.............................................................................................................34
7.2 What is the difference between ‘aggregated’ and ‘detailed’ published data? .....................................34
7.3 Which indicators are available for aggregated data? ..........................................................................34
7.4 Which indicators are available for detailed data?................................................................................35
7.5 What are the basic statistical fields?....................................................................................................35
7.6 What additional statistical information is available? ............................................................................35
7.6.1 Statistical procedure ..................................................................................................................35
7.6.2 Mode of transport ......................................................................................................................36
7.6.3 Eligibility and tariff regimes........................................................................................................36
7.6.4 Trade by enterprise characteristics (TEC).................................................................................36
7.6.5 Invoicing currency......................................................................................................................37
7.7 When are data updated? .....................................................................................................................37
7.8 Does Eurostat publish ITGS only for EU Member States?..................................................................38
8 Data access................................................................................................................................................39
8.1 How can I access data on line?...........................................................................................................39
8.1.1 ‘Main tables’ and ‘Database’......................................................................................................39
8.1.2 ITGS ‘Main tables’ — Long-term indicators...............................................................................40
8.1.3 ITGS ‘Main tables’ — Short-term indicators ..............................................................................42
8.1.4 ITGS ‘Database’ — Long-term indicators..................................................................................42
8.1.5 ITGS ‘Database’ — Short-term indicators .................................................................................43
8.1.6 ITGS ‘Database’ — Detailed data .............................................................................................43
8.1.7 Easy Comext and Comext Analytical interfaces........................................................................43
8.1.8 Bulk Download facility................................................................................................................46
8.2 Publications on line..............................................................................................................................46
8.3 Statistics Explained..............................................................................................................................47
8.4 Where can I find metadata?.................................................................................................................47
8.5 User support ........................................................................................................................................47
Annex 1 — List of goods and movements excluded from ITGS................................................................49
Annex 2 — Specific goods and movements................................................................................................50
Vessels and aircraft – Transfer of economic ownership .............................................................................50
Vessels and aircraft – Processing operation...............................................................................................51
Goods delivered to vessels and aircraft ......................................................................................................52
Goods delivered to and from offshore installations .....................................................................................53
Sea products ...............................................................................................................................................54
Spacecraft ...................................................................................................................................................55
Electricity and gas .......................................................................................................................................56
Annex 3 — Alphanumeric codes...................................................................................................................57
Annex 4 — National authorities involved in ITGS.......................................................................................58
Glossary ..........................................................................................................................................................62
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