Our News: Fons Theis Changes Horizons Page 21: Bettina Knauth Explains FATS Page 48: Introducing Adelheid Bürgi-Schmelz

S IGMA 1/2002 Contents 1 Page 4: L L Pascal Lamy on how to get the best out of globalisation L Page 6: Erkki Liikanen on quality and speed in statistics L Page 26: Enrico Giovannini – thinking globally L Our news: Fons Theis changes horizons L Page 21: Bettina Knauth explains FATS L L Page 48: Introducing Adelheid Bürgi-Schmelz SIGMA COMMENT Enterprise groups: a hard FOCUS ON NSIs Our news nut to crack open 19 Statistics go global 2 Census goes online Fons Theis, who has substantial- … finds Eurostat's Arto Luhtio 40 Eurostat Director-General Yves Franchet Gustav Haraldsen and Coen Hendriks ly shaped the character and look opens the issue A driving force for invite fellow Norwegians to surf of Sigma over the past six years, the integration of waved farewell to Eurostat at the SIGMA THEME the world's economies 21 Taking a picture of Hungary's society 42 beginning of this year. But he is Bettina Knauth of Eurostat elucidates for- STATISTICS AND GLOBALISATION Gábor Rózsa, Central Statistical Office eign affiliates statistics only a short walk away in his of Hungary, on their census new job as Director of the Getting the best out Globalisation at European Commission of globalisation 4 Vikings launch a joint the service of growth 24 Representation in Luxembourg – a By Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy plan of attack 44 by Anne-Christine Strandell Heli Jeskanen-Sundström, Director- function that he had already held Putting e into statistics 6 of Sweden's ITPS General of Statistics Finland, about the from 1990 to 1995 before get- By Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, Nordic Strategy Group ting into the driving seat of infor- responsible for Enterprise "Fortune smiles on the mation and communication at and Information Society best prepared" 26 "All change please" for inter- modal transport statistics 46 Eurostat. Enrico Giovannini, OECD's Chief Steering world trade through Statistician, on the OECD's work Kerstin Forssén about a new survey at the ocean of globalisation 8 Statistics Sweden Philippe Bautier, at Eurostat The WTO's Patrick Low on how How can FDI help us? 29 since 1990 and in the Press the WTO fits in It's never too early Eurostat's Paolo Passerini introduces Office since 1999, takes the to start learning statistics 47 FDI statistics baton from Fons Theis. His goal: Having a say in INSEE’s André de los Santos on their the rules of the game 11 public outreach initiative continue to make Sigma the ideal Dr Paul Rübig, MEP, on how SMEs LOOKING EASTWARDS companion for understanding 'mean business' New hand at the wheel what's going on in the European A new series of profiles presenting of Swiss Statistics 48 Statistical System, from statistical Putting solidarity the statistical offices of the Candidate Adelheid Bürgi-Schmelz – first woman into globalisation 13 to steer Statistics Switzerland themes to the movers and shak- Countries Françoise Le Bail, Director at DG Trade, ers. With the challenges of on globalisation and statistics Statistics Poland – FOCUS ON EUROSTAT enlargement, globalisation and ready for take-off 31 Trade as the motor Catching up with questions of global governance, Barbara Jakob paid a visit to Tadeusz of globalisation 15 Uncle Sam … 49 new technologies, short-term sta- Toczynski, President of GUS Denis Leythienne of Eurostat on the cen- … for short-term statistics tistics, to name a handful, there tral role of trade will be no difficulty making Sigma No learned person New legal clout an interesting read in the years to Climbing aboard the falls from the sky 35 for Community Marie Bohatá, President of the Czech come. The rest of the Sigma team same globalisation train … 17 Statistical Programme 51 Istat's Enrica Morganti – solidarity for a Statistical Office, on how Czech statis- New Community Statistical welcomes him. Herculean task tics have been shaken up Programme 2003-2007 in the offing Editorial S IGMA 1/2002 2 Statistics go global ardly a day goes past alisation’ impacts on many the need for statistics on the role act globally, statisticians will Hwithout globalisation areas of our lives. Hence, it of SMEs, a subject that Dr Paul be asked to do the same. issues in the news. Yet, not all is legitimate for policy-mak- Rübig picks up in his interview. This challenge, which hits the the references are glowingly ers to call for statistics that current system of statistical positive. What is seen as an help them formulate policies The chief challenge in this reporting at its heart, has the opportunity by some, is per- in the light of globalisation. respect, however, is integrat- potential of inducing a para- ceived as a threat by others. But globalisation is not only ing these different statistical digm shift for statistical However, what unites both a phenomenon to be meas- areas, which have developed reporting. sides is the conclusion that ured in its own right; it is side by side for many years, globalisation exists and that it also a phenomenon that will each with their own logic. The A first step might be a move matters – that it matters for influence the statistical sys- new common aim of contribut- from a statistical reporting everybody, be it governments, tem itself, where it might ing to the joint measurement system based on enterprises economic actors or individu- induce similar structural of globalisation suddenly turns or even smaller units to one als. And it also matters for stat- changes as in our economies those initially distinct areas based on larger units such as isticians who will need to and societies. into related areas of statistics. enterprise groups and, in adapt their production systems And this creates a need for particular, trans-national ent- to this new phenomenon. Meaningful common concepts, definitions erprise groups – important and nomenclatures for draw- actors in the globalisation But what is exactly meant by statistics about ing up a consistent statistical process. globalisation? Just like the globalisation portrait of globalisation. This term ‘new economy’, ‘globali- need for integration will Next, the relevance of the sation’ is used to describe an Initially, the appearance of a require significant coordina- principle of residence as important structural change in new policy-relevant phenome- tion that will not leave the orig- opposed to nationality could the world’s economies for non simply calls for its meas- inal areas unaffected. be brought into question. which it is difficult to agree on urement in statistical terms. As Can reporting on internation- a definition sufficiently exact far as globalisation is con- Beyond the measurement of the al transactions continue to be to please a statistician. cerned, its measurement can extent of globalisation lies the based on the principle of res- rely on a number of existing analysis of its impact – carried idence in the light of transfer It is the shorthand expression approaches that have formed out by researchers all over the pricing used in intra-firm for a bundle of phenomena part of the statistical appara- world (see also the article by trade? And what about statis- that result from the opening of tus for many years. The extent Anne-Christine Strandell). It will tics on growth and productiv- markets and lead to a consid- of globalisation can thus be be up to the dialogue with this ity in the light of production erable increase in the level of determined by statistics relat- research community to further processes split across differ- integration and interrelation of ing to external trade, foreign refine the need for basic statistics ent countries? Or as a gener- national economies. In this direct investment as well as that are able to contribute to the al question: Do we need to respect, the process of EU inte- business statistics. The contri- analysis of the globalisation change the current statistical gration can be seen as an bution from Enrica Morganti process. output due to the bias gener- example of globalisation on a and the four contributions from ated by globalisation? reduced scale. The process of Eurostat colleagues describe Meaningful globalisation has currently the different angles of globali- All these questions call for been accelerated by the politi- sation that standard statistical statistics despite more dialogue with existing cal will to liberalise markets tools can address. globalisation users to determine what would and facilitated by the avail- constitute meaningful statistics ability of powerful information To fulfil this new aim of capturing The measurement of globali- despite globalisation. and communication technolo- the globalisation process ade- sation is only one of the gies that enable communica- quately, these tools are currently impacts of globalisation on Globalised tion beyond the boundaries of in the process of being adapted statistics. A far more impor- space and time. and refined. And more work lies tant one stems from the fact statistics? ahead to respond to further that increasing globalisation Challenges for requests from users, such as the will call into question the rel- The paradigm shift is likely to go need for statistics on services evance of statistics that rep- even further and has the poten- statistics … and on the modalities of interna- resent a reality truncated by tial of giving a new meaning to The structural change tional integration, two areas of national borders. At a time the term ‘EU statistics’. When described by the term ‘glob- concern for Françoise Le Bail or when enterprises think and national allocation of data S IGMA 1/2002 Editorial 3 becomes meaningless, EU statis- laboration of different The changes brought about alised statistics. And as far as tics obtain a value in their own actors, but also the by globalisation are likely to other international actors right, over and above an aggre- exchange of their data, con- lead to a call for extended agree (see the interview with gation of national data.

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