Meeting of the Management Group on Statistical Co-operation Data Collection and Dissemination – Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries Meeting of the Management Group on Statistical Co-operation Thank you Mr Chairman I would like to inform you about Eurostat activities on data collection and dissemination regarding Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries. 26 - 27 March 2007

INTRODUCTION DATA COLLECTION DATA DISSEMINATION DATA PUBLICATION STRUCTURE INTRODUCTION DATA COLLECTION DATA DISSEMINATION DATA PUBLICATION NEW PUBLICATIONS FOR 2007 My presentation will include the following parts: After short introduction I will inform you about data collection and dissemination. Than information will be given about data publication including the new publications planned for 2007.

Eurostat's mission is to provide the European INTRODUCTION Eurostat's mission is to provide the European Union with a high-quality statistical information service. The needs of European Institutions, national governments, private organisations and the individual citizens are taken into account. Data quality, which includes relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability and coherence, is very important. As you know Eurostat's mission is to provide the European Union with a high-quality statistical information service. The needs of European Institutions, national governments, private organisations and the individual citizens are taken into account. Data quality, which includes relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability and coherence, is very important.

INTRODUCTION (continued) Tasks for E4 after accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union are concentrated now on Candidate Countries and Potential Candidate Countries. A policy of decentralised data collection from Candidate Countries by the respective production units is pursued by Eurostat. Data for Potential Candidate Countries up to now have been collected centrally by contractor on behalf of Unit E4. Tasks for E4 after accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union are concentrated now on Candidate Countries and Potential Candidate Countries . A policy of decentralised data collection from Candidate Countries by the respective production units is pursued by Eurostat. Data for Potential Candidate Countries up to now have been collected centrally by Unit E4. It will stay this way for some time, as a regular transmission of data to Eurostat exists only in a few subject areas, such as external trade statistics. Now Eurostat unit F1 is interested to collect demography data by themselves, too.

Regular data collection Around 300 indicators (of which more than 70 in extra table) Statistical areas covered: demography, education, social, labour force, national accounts, finance, energy, business, transport, communications and information society Trends asked from 1995 onwards (if available) As part of the co-operation with the Bulgaria, Romania, Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries, Eurostat Unit E4 launched in the spring of 2005 a regular data collection exercise. The project initially drew up a list of approximately 300 indicators that would be requested, covering a broad spectrum of statistics, in order to produce leaflets, pocketbooks, statistical annexes to the Regular Reports / Comprehensive Monitoring Reports and to the Commission’s annual reports on the Stabilisation & Association Processes (SAP) on Potential Candidate Countries. The main indicators included in the tables were divided by statistical area (demography, education, social, labour force, national accounts, finance, energy, business, transport, communications and information society), but more than 70 indicators from different statistical areas were included in an additional EXTRA table. Trends were asked from 1995 up to 2005 (if available).

DATA COLLECTION (continued) Data collection by Artemis: April/May and July/August 2006 April/May and July/August 2007 Foreign Trade data: ESTAT Unit G3 Demography data: ESTAT Unit F1 Data collection activity in 2006 was organised twice: in April/May and in July/August, using questionnaires that were pre-filled with data already available in Eurostat. If necessary, additional questions were later sent to countries, to ask for clarification regarding the data received. In addition supporting notes were prepared and sent to the countries with a description of the list of indicators that should be provided, together with their European/international definition. Respondents were asked to include details of how national indicators deviate from these definitions through the inclusion of footnotes in the questionnaire. As from January 2007 the new round of data collection and publication activity is started by "Artemis". Data collection is foreseen in April/May and in July/August 2007. In general it will be based on the same pre-filled questionnaires that were used in 2006, but some changes are introduced after consultation with Eurostat production units.

Free dissemination via New Cronos and WEB page: DATA DISSEMINATION Free dissemination via New Cronos and WEB page: General and regional statistics Non EU countries General statistics on Candidate and Western Balkan countries, Russia and the European Neighbourhood Policy countries within the NIS  As result of data collection a data base was created and data are available in New Cronos and on a web-page: General and regional statistics Non EU countries General statistics on Candidate and Western Balkan countries, Russia and the European Neighbourhood Policy countries within the NIS  Here some changes are necessary taking into account that Bulgaria and Romania are the Member States from January 2007 and that some production units are overtaking data collection activity.

DATA DISSEMINATION (continued) Structural indicators Economy and finance Population and social conditions Industry, trade and services Agriculture, forestry and fisheries External trade Transport Environment and energy Science and technology Structural indicators such as key indicators on EU policy are shown separately. Data are divided by statistical area as follows: Economy and finance, Population and social conditions, Industry, trade and services, Agriculture, forestry and fisheries, External trade, Transport, Environment and energy, and Science and technology.

DATA PUBLICATIONS PREPARED IN 2006 Pocketbook on Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries Leaflets “Candidate and Western Balkan countries a comparison with the European Union”: 1. Key indicators and trade statistics 2. Key indicators and agricultural statistics 3. Key indicators and labour statistics               The new revised edition of the pocketbook taking into account accession of Bulgaria and Romania into EU is planned to be published in March/April of this year. This publication will consist again of approximately 14 chapters and around 140 pages. Based on the above-mentioned data collection and the data supplied by Eurostat production units, the contractor "Artemis" was in charge of producing, in close co-ordination with unit E4 of Eurostat, three 2-page information leaflets of 21 x 40 cm for the general public according to the following specification: presentation of key indicators on the Bulgaria, Romania, Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries in tables, graphs, charts and maps. The first June 2006 leaflet included key indicators and trade statistics, the second November 2006 leaflet included key indicators and agricultural statistics (update of 2005 edition), and the third December 2006 leaflet included key indicators and labour force.

DATA PUBLICATIONS PLANNED IN 2007 Pocketbook on Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries (the second edition) 3 Leaflets “Candidate and Potential Candidate countries a comparison with the European Union” (June 2007, September 2007 and November 2007 editions) The contractor "Artemis" will prepare the second revised edition of the pocketbook in November 2007. The production of three new leaflets is planned up to the end of 2007. The dates of production of these leaflets are May, September and November.

Thank you for your attention! MGSC 2007 – Data Collection and Dissemination –Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries Thank you for your attention!