Short-term statistics

 

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 concerning short-term indicators

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THIS REGULATION?

It sets out rules for producing and transmitting short-term economic activity indicators in line with the NACE Rev.2 classification. These statistics enable analysingshort-term developments in supply and demand, production factors and prices. They allow users to monitor business competitiveness and performance across the EU.

It repeals Directives 72/211/EEC and 78/166/EEC to take account of economic and technical developments.

KEY POINTS

Short-term statistics (STS) indices currently cover 4 main areas:

• Industry — NACE sections B to E, which include:
  • mining,
  • quarrying,
  • energy and water supply, and
  • waste management and remediation activities;
• Construction — NACE Section F and building and civil engineering indicators based on the classification of types of constructions;
• Wholesale and retail trade — NACE Section G (covers whole and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorbikes);
• Services — NACE Sections, H, I, J, M and N which cover:
  • transportation and storage,
  • accommodation and food services,
  • information and communication,
  • professional, scientific and technical activities, and
  • administrative and support service activities.

The specific requirements for each of the data to be collected (e.g. production volume, turnover, prices, labour input) are described in the regulation’s annexes, as are:

• the reference periods,
• the frequency of data collection and
• the deadlines for data transmission to the European Commission (Eurostat).

EU countries must each have one national authority responsible for coordinating:

• the transmission of data and other relevant information to Eurostat;
• data quality measurement.

EU countries may acquire the data using a combination of sources but should always ensure to apply the principle of administrative simplification (i.e. placing the least possible burden on businesses, especially small ones). These sources include:

• compulsory surveys involving the legal units as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 696/93(on the EU’s producation system — statistical units); these surveys are only to be used to obtain information that is not already available from other sources, such as business registers;
• other sources such as administrative data;
• appropriate statistical estimation procedures;
• European sample schemes coordinated by Eurostat.

EU countries must ensure their data meet quality requirements laid down by Eurostat. EU countries and Eurostat test data quality by comparing them with other statistical information and check for internal consistency.

Every 3 years, the European Commission prepares a report for the European Parliament and the Council focusing on the relevance and quality of the statistics and the revision of indicators.

Eurostat, having consulted the European Statistical System (ESS) Committee, published an advisory methodological manual.

The Commission may adopt further legislation to implement the short-term statistics (STS) regulation. In this regard, it receives guidance from the ESS Committee.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 26 June 1998.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

• Short-term business statistics (Eurostat).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 of 19 May 1998 concerning short-term statistics (OJ L 162, 5.6.1998, pp. 1-15)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 have been incorporated in the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Regulation (EC) No 177/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 2008 establishing a common framework for business registers for statistical purposes and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 2186/93 (OJ L 61, 5.3.2008, pp. 6-16)

Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 of 15 March 1993 on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community (OJ L 76, 30.3.1993, pp. 1-11)

See consolidated version.

last update 18.04.2018