© Federal Statistical Office Germany Statistisches Bundesamt Statistical analysis through linking Intra Trade Register and General Business Registers Christiane Rosenow 

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 2 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 3 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 4 German foreign trade - imports Year TotalEU 25Third Countries in Million €% changein Million €% changein Million €% change % % % % % % 2004* % % % *preliminary numbers

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 5 German foreign trade - exports Year TotalEU 25Third Countries in Million €% changein Million €% changein Million €% change % % % % % % 2004* % % % *preliminary numbers

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 6 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 7 Intra Trade Register (Intrastat Register) was established in 1993 set up according to the data of financial administration General Business Register (GBR) legal basis for building up a GBR was disposed in 1998 according to the federal structure of Germany there are 16 Länder Business Registers and one GBR, a copy of all Länder registers a first publication of data collected in the GBR was realised in 2004 History of sectoral foreign trade data

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 8 History of sectoral foreign trade data year 2000: intra trade data from 1999 was matched with business register data from 1997 year 2002: intra trade data from 2000 was matched with business register data year 2004: intra trade data from 2002 was matched with business register data from 2003

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 9 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 10 Joining Intra Trade Data and Business Register Data Intrastat Register key identifier: VAT number auxiliary identifiers: enterprise address main variables: commodity code partner country value of dispatches and arrivals weight period GBR key identifier: VAT number auxiliary identifiers: enterprise address main variables: sector of activity number of employees subject to social insurance turnover

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 11 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 12 Methodical Problems Problem with data of parent companies (“Organträger”) when they can be described as the head of VAT groups (“Organschaft”). A VAT group describes a subordination between a parent company and at least one subsidiary (“Organgesellschaft”). All parent companies (as taxable entities) can be found in the database of the GBR and the Intrastat Register. The question is, whether data of parent companies found in the GBR can be used to give significant results in the context of sectoral intra trade.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 13 Methodical Problems Sector of activity This data is gained by the Regional Finance Offices of the Länder. For statistical purposes this problem is even more difficult the more heterogenic the sector of activity of the subsidiary companies are. They allocate an enterprise to a specific sector of activity according to the ‚main-focus‘-principle. This will be in general the activity of the parent company and not the main activity of the VAT group.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 14 Methodical Problems turnover This data is gained by the Regional Finance Offices of the Länder and is available for all enterprises liable to VAT. The turnover of the VAT groups is shown globally in the sector of activity of the parent company. The total turnover of the VAT group is assigned to the Land were the parent company has its seat. This is not inevitably the place where the most turnover is generated. The fiscal authorities know only the taxable turnover of the whole VAT group assigned to the parent company, which is defined as the turnover outside of the VAT group.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 15 Methodical Problems Number of employees subject of social insurance The number of employees subject of social insurances is taken from data issued by the Federal Employment Agency. What we do not know is the number of employees subject of social insurance for the VAT group. In the case of parent companies we get the number of employees subject of social insurances who work in the “unit” parent company. Data of local units need to be added to get results on the level of enterprises.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 16 Methodical Problems The size of an enterprise has been defined by its number of employees.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 17 Methodical Problems * Enterprises with an annual turnover in 2000 and 2001 over Euro, 2002 over Euro and 2003 over Euro.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 18 Agenda German foreign trade - some numbers History of sectoral foreign trade data Joining intra trade data and business register data Methodical problems Outlook

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 19 Outlook A new central Business Register is currently being planned and will probably be implemented by This will cancel out some problems of the current GBR. The IT system of the foreign trade division is undergoing a redesign. One of the side effects will hopefully be an Extratrade Register. So in starting 2009 sectoral foreign trade results will be available for all foreign trade.

© Federal Statistical Office Germany – Foreign Trade Division Statistisches Bundesamt 20 Thank you for your attention!