2002/314/EC: Commission Decision of 25 April 2002 on the implementation of Decision 507/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning a set of actions relating to the trans-European network for the collection, production and dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods within the Community and between the Community and non-member countries (Edicom) (notified under document number C(2002) 1282)
Date: 2002-04-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU statistics, electronic mail, extra-EU trade, information network, intra-EU trade, trans-European network

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 25 April 2002

on the implementation of Decision 507/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
concerning a set of actions relating to the trans-European network for the collection, production
and dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods within the Community and between the
Community and non-member countries (Edicom)

(notified under document number C(2002) 1282)

(2002/314/EC)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

(4)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Decision 507/2001/EC of
the European
Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 concerning a
set of actions relating to the trans-European network for the
collection, production and dissemination of statistics on the
trading of goods within the Community and between the
Community and non-member countries (Edicom) (1) and in
particular Article 3 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Decision 507/2001/EC of the European Parliament and
of the Council lays down the reference framework for an
information network for the collection, production and
dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods within
the Community and between the Community and non-
member countries, and gives the Commission the task of
implementing it.

The measures set out in this Decision meet the aims and
conditions established by Decision 507/2001/EC and
therefore qualify for Community funding.

The Commission should therefore approve the annual
work programme including the distribution of annual
expenditure.

The measures set out in this Decision are in accordance
with the opinion of the Committee on statistics relating
to the trading of goods between Member States and the
Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods
with non-member countries, established by Council
Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 (2) and Council Regulation
(EEC) No 1172/95 (3),

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION,

Article 1

For the 2002 work programme, the measures qualifying for
Community funding are set out in Annex I up to the amounts
stated in Annex II to this Decision.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 25 April 2002.

For the Commission

Pedro SOLBES MIRA

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 76, 16.3.2001, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 316, 16.11.1991, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 118, 25.5.1995, p. 10.

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ANNEX I

EDICOM MEASURES — GENERAL WORK PROGRAMME

Measures relating to the implementation of a higher-quality information network which is less costly and
available more quickly, in line with the requirements of Community policy

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES

1. Production of advanced estimators

The objective of the proposed measures is to produce preliminary results at European level (EU and euro zones) which
comply with minimum quality requirements at their level of aggregation. By comparing monthly statistics, as published
initially and after revision, it will be possible to anticipate the final values of regularly revised data using appropriate
econometric modelling or other suitable methodologies.

2.

Improvement in the quality of basic statistics in external trade

The objective of the proposed measures is to improve the quality of the statistics and to analyse and improve the methods
developed in Member States to control the data supplied by companies and the methods developed in Member States and
the Commission (Eurostat) to control data at a more aggregated level. The outcome will be a thorough evaluation of the
current methods in use and an assessment of the feasibility of the common platform at EU-level.

3.

Improvement in quality measurement and control of the external trade statistics

Traditionally, external flows have been measured by the customs administration, which has its own culture. In particular,
as a tax administration, it makes extensive use of accounting practices, i.e. an apparently clear-cut distinction between true
values and errors. Therefore, there is no tradition of quality control, error measurement and communication on reliability
of external trade statistics in many Member States.

The aim of the proposed measures is to respond to this unsatisfactory situation by enhancing quality measurement,
control and assurance.

4.

Improvement in the updating process for statistical results

The aim of the proposed measures is to determine a harmonised updating procedure for reducing the impact of factors
affecting the quality of statistics. A high level of variability in the updating process applied to monthly data reduces the
degree of harmonisation of external trade statistics. To identify the best methods, the updating process applied by each
Member State must therefore be studied both from the methodological point of view and from the publication policy
(how often, over what period, etc.) perspective. Then, a more harmonised procedure/approach at Union-level (either the
‘best’ practice used by one or more of the Member States, or a completely new approach) will be proposed.

5.

Improvement in the methods of adjusting statistical results

In Intrastat as in Extrastat, thresholds for data collection are used by the Member States in order to limit the burden on
traders. There is currently no harmonisation of the methods or the tools for the adjustments that are required. The
objective of the proposed measures is to find the best adjustment methods and develop a user-friendly and portable
application to test alternative methods in the Member States.

6. Dealing with asymmetries in Intrastat

The collection system of the statistics on intra-EU trade, Intrastat, generates sets of statistics which are not coherent at the
level of intra-EU trade. The main reasons for this are known. The asymmetries are very important because they affect the
reliability of the euro zone trade balance as well as the balance of payments and national accounts. Asymmetries are not
limited to intra-EU trade and may occur with extra-EU partners.

In order to address these problems and improve the situation of users at European level (EU, euro zone), the aim of the
proposed measures is to compare and implement specific models to reconcile the divergent data, on the basis of several
methods. At the same time, some Member States will carry out detailed ‘mirror’ comparison exercises aimed at correcting
any anomalies.

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7. Reconciliation of external trade statistics

External trade statistics is a statistical area which is unique in that two trading partners compile corresponding sets of
data. The differences are identified by comparing import and export flows. The next step is to find explanations and make
adjustments to the identified discrepancies as far as possible.

Reconciliation exercises between partner countries are therefore an efficient way of checking and improving the quality of
trade statistics. The proposed actions aim to produce a statistical methodology and computer tool that can be applied
when reconciling trade data between two or more partners. The tool will be tested in an exercise between the EU and two
of its major trading partners.

Measures relating to the implementation of a network of information that is relevant and appropriate to users'
changing needs, within the framework of Economic and Monetary Union and the international economic
environment

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:

1.

Improvement in the management of disclosure avoidance for foreign trade statistics

The collection and dissemination of foreign trade statistics is a very detailed process. In many cases, this level of detail is
not compatible with the rules on confidentiality which protect individual data provided by enterprises. Where necessary,
the Member States apply their own rules for disguising data at national level and forward the initial data and the relevant
authorised levels of publication to the Commission (Eurostat). The current techniques for disguising data are defined at
Member State level and applied directly to the aggregates of the European Union and the Monetary Union.

In addition to the measures proposed by Eurostat with the aim of standardising the methodology implemented by the
Member States and by the Commission (Eurostat), other measures are envisaged with the objective of improving national
practice.

2. Analysis of seasonal adjustment quality

Eurostat produces and disseminates monthly foreign trade indicators which are seasonally adjusted and corrected for
working days.

However, there are different methods of seasonal adjustment and correcting for working days and several ways of
specifying the models. There is a need for a measurement of the quality of the indicators produced based on the main
quality parameters. The objectives of the proposed measures are therefore:

— to define and assess quality indicators for seasonally adjusted data, drawing a distinction between general indicators

and those which might be specific to foreign trade data,

— on the basis of genuine data, to test and assess the impact of the main assumptions made in the seasonal adjustment

calculation on the quality indicators defined in the previous stage,

— to provide a detailed assessment and recommendations.

3.

Improvement in the information on foreign trade indices

Eurostat and most Member States publish unit value indices. In particular, Eurostat has developed an application for new
external trade indices (NICE) enabling unit value indices to be calculated every month. The application is designed to be
adaptable to changes in the composition of the euro zone and the European Union and to new user requirements.

The objectives of the proposed measures are:

— to ensure that IT development of the NICE application continues,

— to increase the content of the accessible information by adding backward-extrapolated and seasonally-adjusted data,

— to conduct a comparative analysis in some Member States of unit value indices and price indices.

4.

Improvement in the information on the value of trade

Statistics on the trading of goods are valued on a fob (free on board) basis for dispatches/exports and on a cif basis
(insurance and freight charges included) for arrivals/imports. Publishing statistics on a fob basis for arrivals and imports, at
least for aggregated results, would provide users with very useful information. This method is used in the area of the
balance of payments, and the production of information on a double cif/fob basis is recommended by the United Nations.
Pilot projects will be implemented in some Member States in 2002 with the aim of making this information available.

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Measures relating to the implementation of an information network better integrated into the general statistical
system and adapted to developments in the administrative environment

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:

1. Development of trade registers and attention to globalisation

For the open economies of the EU, external trade statistics are a major source of information that is widely used by
economists, policy-makers and business associations. However, to make full use of these data, most users need them to be
linked with enterprise statistics for which a full set of variables is already available at EU level. On the other hand, it is
important to provide the users with additional data measuring the impact of international groups on trade statistics. To
achieve these goals, an action plan has been proposed that is divided into the two following topics: trade registers and
globalisation.

— T r a d e r e g i s t e r s

The objective of the proposed measures is to establish connections between the trade and business registers so that a
broad range of new analysis of external trade statistics can be carried out. For instance, it would be possible to
measure the part of trade carried out by each economic sector. The links between trade and structural business
statistics could also be analysed, for instance, the effect of trade on employment.

— G l o b a l i s a t i o n

The fundamental implication of globalisation makes it necessary to analyse and measure the activities of enterprises in
a global as well as a national context. Traditionally, statistical data have focused on the international trade area with
much less attention to other important cross border economic relationships such as the activities of multinational
firms and intra-firm flows. The result is that statistics may fail to fully capture the scope of cross-border economic
activities.

The objective of the proposed measures is to examine the extent to which existing external trade statistics can
contribute to the collection of this information and determine possible technical modifications to existing systems
which can facilitate this collection.

2.

Improvement in user access to customs statistics

Eurostat has developed an application (Taristat) providing access to some of the data in the TARIC customs database. This
tool is sufficiently operational as far as the display of specific and isolated information is concerned. However, it would be
possible to combine external trade statistics with customs data and to use the latter data as reference data when
processing external trade data. This information would be very useful for those who use statistics for analysis purposes,
particularly in the context of trade negotiations.

The objective of the measure is therefore to provide Comext database users with easy access to basic information on tariff
measures and customs duties.

3. Analyses as part of the adaptation of the Intrastat system

In addition to the simplification measures adopted over recent years, Eurostat has proposed a plan for adapting the
Intrastat system (statistics on trade in goods between Member States) with the objective of making the rules more
transparent and comprehensible, taking greater account of changes in national practices in certain fields (adjustments,
timetables, quality etc.) and setting system parameters to provide results that meet Community needs in terms of quality
requirements relating to coverage, reliability and availability.

Two measures are proposed with the aim of:

— completing the survey of information providers started in the first year of the programme in order to assess the

current burden of providing Intrastat data,

— reassessing information needs relating to the trade between Member States.

4.

Improvement in the information on the transport of goods

Many data are currently collected for the production of statistics on the transport of goods within the framework of the
trade in goods with non-member countries and between the Member States. To improve the service offered to users of
these statistics, it is proposed to improve and complete the existing information by cross-checking it with other available
sources (transport statistics etc.). This measure should also provide an assessment of the quality of the data currently
collected and could lead to new statistical products and/or proposals for optimising the collection of detailed data.

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Measures relating to the implementation of a network improving the statistical service provided to administra-
tions and users and providers of data

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:

1. Consolidation of dissemination products

The users of external trade statistics require rapid access to pertinent data. Rapid dissemination of data which are as
up-to-date as possible and adapted to the needs of different users will establish the European Statistical System as the
preferred supplier of data on the external and intra-Community trade of the EU and euro zone. A number of projects
designed to meet this goal will be started or continued,

in particular:

— a survey of the information needs of private and public users of statistics published by Eurostat,

— the development and concentration of dissemination tools at Eurostat.

2. Development of a tool for classifying goods

Since statistical returns are completed on the basis of coded data and product classification is easily the most complex
information to provide, there are plans to provide foreign trade operators with a tool for classifying goods.

The main purpose of the proposed measures is to continue the development of a common software product allowing the
automatic classification of goods.

The product should be modular and interoperable at Community level, so that it can be adapted to existing information
collection tools. On-line use via an Internet server should also be envisaged in the longer term.

3. Dissemination of metadata

In order to improve the statistical service provided to administrations and users and providers of data, it is planned to
improve access to the basic information on foreign trade statistics, including metadata such as nomenclatures, classifica-
tions and derived products (explanatory notes, key words, alphabetical indexes, transposition or correlation tables, etc.).

The objective of the proposed measures is to continue the measures aimed at improving access to information on trade
nomenclatures.

Measures relating to the implementation of a network based on tools for the collection of information in the
light of the latest technological advances in order to improve functions available to information providers

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME AIMS TO DEVELOP THE TOOLS FOR COLLECTING STATISTICAL INFORMATION

The collection of data from companies and their treatment is a fundamental component of the external trade statistic
system. One of the successes of the programme Edicom I was the development and implementation of collection tools for
the Intrastat system used by a large number of companies (electronic forms IDEP/CN8 and IRIS, and Webforms). Owing
to modifications of the technological environment, and in the light of the experience gained, the objectives of the
measures proposed will be to:

— ensure the continuity and development of

these tools by making the necessary technological and functional

modifications,

— take into account new methodological requirements,

— take into account developments in message standardisation,

— ensure the promotion of modern collection tools, especially web forms.

Measures relating to the implementation of an integrated and interoperable network

THE 2002 WORK PROGRAMME WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:

The Edicom programme has methodological, organisational,
coherent,

integrated and synergic approach. The following measures are therefore proposed:

legislative and computer components which require a

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1. Network modernisation

Measures will be taken to modernise the various elements of the trans-European network for the collection, production
and dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods within the Community and between the Community and
non-member countries. They will focus on the tools and methods used in:
— processing and validating data,
— communication between national administrations and Eurostat,
— user access to statistical data and metadata, including greater use of the Internet and improvements to the software for

disseminating statistics on the trading of goods (Comext).

2. Development of an information system on methodology

All of the methodological measures proposed must be coordinated to ensure their consistency and must aim at better
integration of statistics on the trade of goods into the European statistical system. The measures must also be linked to
existing methodology (including the acquis communautaire) and accompanied by teaching guides.

Within this general context, it is proposed to continue the development of a comprehensive, coherent and consistent
information to be disseminated
the overall project and enable the methodological
documentary base to support
interactively in a user-friendly way using the latest technology.

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ANNEX II

EDICOM MEASURES — INDICATIVE COST BREAKDOWN

(in EUR)

Year 2002

Measures relating to the implementation of a higher-quality information network which is less
costly and available more quickly, in line with the requirements of Community policy

— Centralised measures:

— Measures to be taken in the Member States:

Denmark

Germany

Spain

Italy

Luxembourg

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

Measures relating to the implementation of an information network that is relevant
and appropriate to users' changing needs, within the framework of Economic and Monetary Union
and the international economic environment

— Centralised measures:

— Measures to be taken in the Member States:

Denmark

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Austria

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

Measures relating to the implementation of an information network better integrated into the
general statistical system and adapted to developments in the administrative environment

— Centralised measures:

— Measures to be taken in the Member States:

Denmark

Germany

France

Netherlands

Austria

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

752 000

117 000

130 000

200 000

49 096

50 400

184 535

101 000

124 000

58 500

450 000

111 000

85 000

142 613

130 000

40 000

32 425

125 000

38 000

410 000

48 000

7 000

3 000

120 000

60 000

45 000

48 000

46 000

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Measures relating to the implementation of a network improving the statistical service provided
to administrations and users and providers of data

— Centralised measures:

— Measures to be taken in the Member States:

Denmark

Spain

France

Measures relating to the implementation of a network based on tools for the collection of
information in the light of the latest technological advances in order to improve functions available
to information providers

— Centralised measures:

— Measures to be taken in the Member States:

France

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austria

Portugal

Sweden

United Kingdom

Measures relating to the implementation of an integrated and interoperable network

— Centralised measures:

Measures relating to technical and administrative assistance; support measures

(in EUR)

Year 2002

1 090 000

56 000

63 106

100 000

629 000

22 500

82 532

350 000

40 700

240 000

105 000

27 757

118 000

458 612

1 365 000

630 000

Total

9 085 776