The bulletin of European statistics SIGMA¿.í=-x k\ i tm Λ <■■■>, tn) w^wk À β ƒ ΜΜ^^^^^^ΕΒ^Τ To Ο HE^ES^H ^&——. ■Bl *5Jg&'. ^^H I 311 WU^r¡ ■■ ¿1 ■ρ Él·* ^¡kìi. ^ά •jr ω ma =E2 Statistical OTFTc e European Communities SIGMA SUMMER 1995 n ,k( \. - >Uillc.|·· Managing editor Fernando de Esteban Chief editor Daniel Byk Editorial adviser John Wright Editor Jean Drappier Published by Office for Official Publications of the European Communities Layout Made by Sams - Luxembourg Catalogue number CA-AB-95-003-EN-C One area where Statistics Finland reckon they are © ECSC-EC-EAEC Brussels · Luxembourg 1995 ahead of other Member States is register statistics. Printed in Luxembourg Their statistical system uses 33 administrative regis• Views expressed in Sigma are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the ters. Pictured here is the man in charge, Pekka European Commission Myrskyla. The Finns are also producers of high-qual• Sigma is available free of charge from: Eurostat ity publicity material for their statistics, which explains Press & Communications Team Room B3/079 the background to the picture. See Page 26 for our Jean Monnet Building L-2920 Luxembourg special feature on Statistics Finland. Tel 352 4301 33012/34654 SIGMA Summer 1995 CONTENTS Sigma comment The acid test for European statistics by Yves-Thibault de Silguy Sigma theme Focus on CMFB Statistics and EMU 1. A key player by Alberto De Michelis 4 2. EMU 'the only way to go' Jean Drappier interviews Wolfgang Duchatczek 8 3. Don't mix apples and pears John Kidgell in conversation with John Wright Statistics and the EMI by Gert Jan Hogeweg Single currency - 'sooner the better' Eu rodear in conversation with Jean Drappier 20 Focus on Member States Profile of Statistics Finland 26 Agreement between Eurostat and German Statistical Office 34 Statistics in action in Ireland 35 Focus on The rough and the smooth 36 Eurostat of a Eurostat publication The British at Eurostat 38 New name for Statistics Iceland 38 Eurostat centre stage in Paris 39 Eurostat news releases 40 SIGMA Summer 1995 SIGMA COMMENT SIGNA COMMENT BY YVES-THIBAULT DE SILGUY beginning of this year Mr de Silguy has been the European Commissioner responsible for Eurostat SIGMA Summer 1995 SIGMA COMMENT THE ACID TEST There is no need to remind Calculation of the conver• consumer price index and its readers of Sigma of the rapid gence criteria in the Treaty is being to the highest profes• changes taking place in Europe essential to the continued con• sional standards. and thus of the increasingly vi• struction of a united Europe. tal need for high-quality statis• The passage to Stage 3 will tics - statistics that are perti• The Treaty clearly states that be judged according to the nent, impartial, accurate, reli• the Commission and the Euro• methodology of the present able, and regularly produced pean Monetary Institute are to ESA (European System of Na• within the set time limits, in or• report to the Council on "the tional Accounts). The new ESA der to meet the information progress made in the fulfilment data will be available from 1999 needs of both the public and by the Member States of their and will cover '98 with ex• economic and political deci• obligations regarding the tremely reliable and useful sion-makers. achievement of economic and data. In Stage 3 it will be ap• monetary union". To this end plied for the excessive deficit Such statistics cannot be Eurostat has started work procedure. produced and widely dissemi• within the European statistical nated without an effective Eu• system and also with the cen• Member States' assistance ropean statistical system the tral banks and the EMI to en• with all this is vital, as it is to quality of which is widely recog• sure that all necessary data are ensure the success of nised outside statistical circles. available within the time limits Eurostat's efforts to measure set by the Treaty. the degree of integration of the The key question addressed markets, and the balance of in this issue of Sigma is what is It is vital for the national sta• payments. at stake for European statistics tistical offices of Member States as we move to economic and to carry out the projects in I do not think it is an exag• monetary union. question to the highest possi• geration to say that the design ble standard, and that techni• and formulation of effective The first point is that we have cal difficulties and/or differ• mechanisms for producing both to complete our preparations ences of opinion on specific the principal and the second• for implementing the third matters give way to unity of ary indicators required for EMU phase provided for by the opinion and action. For ex• will be the acid test of the ef• Treaty on European Union to ample, I might stress the impor• fectiveness of the European extremely tight deadlines. tance of the Regulation on the statistical system. SIGMA Summer 1995 STATISTICS AND EMU BY ALBERTO DE MICHELIS Over five years ago the EC Today it has become a cen• and intensify its action to meet Council was asked, on tral mechanism for cooperation the deadlines and cope with the Eurostat's initiative, to create between Eurostat and the EMI reliability and comparability the Committee on Monetary, (European Monetary Institute), control data requirements. Financial and Balance of Pay• on one side, and NSIs and cen• These will give all the institu• ments Statistics (CMFB). Aim tral banks on the other. tions involved and govern• was to enhance the coopera• ments the tools they need for tion between national statistical Eurostat remains at the cen• measuring the implementation, institutes and central bank stat• tre of the mechanism. It han• follow-up and control of the isticians with a view to imple• dles the secretariat and submits EMU objectives. menting statistical instruments papers dealing with statistical for the conception, follow-up policy as well as technicalities. CMFB's tasks, conducted in and the evaluation of economic close cooperation with the EMI, and monetary union. Making a success of EMU central bank partners and/or will require high-quality statis• NSIs, concern: At first the approach - as far tical follow-up. First of all, one as the definition of the statisti• has to make sure that the con• • methods of calculating pub• cal objectives was concerned - vergence criteria provided for lic debt and deficits to ensure was rather coolly received by by the Union Treaty are elabo• the greatest comparability some independently-minded rated in time and with the nec• parties. Step by step, however, essary comparability. • calculation of gross domes• CMFB managed to find its tic product and improving its place within the official statisti• The Commission gave reliability according to ESA (Eu• cal world. Eurostat a mandate to pursue ropean System of Accounts) SIGMA Summer 1995 STATISTICS AND EMU norms. This is presently a re­ Alberto De Michelis view process with completion studied economics at the expected in all countries by end of the current decade University of Florence and statistics at the IPSOA Insti­ • national and financial ac­ tute in Turin before joining counts ­ to produce them on a the price statistics unit of the comparable basis for all Mem­ Statistical Office of the Eu­ ber States; these statistics are ropean Communities in indispensable for the measure­ 1963. During his career he ment of economic policy con­ has worked in many sectors vergence of Eurostat and has been in­ • harmonisation of consumer volved in major international price indices to give results negotiations (GATT, Kennedy Round, ACP). After taking starting in 1997 (calculations for over the agriculture division in 1984 he became head of the the 1996 report being based unit entitled 'Planning, budget, relations with other Commu­ only on adjustment of national nity institutions and international organisations' in 1988. In price indices) December 1992 he became acting head of the Directorate entitled 'Economic statistics and national accounts, prices • long­term interest rates, and coordination relating to the single market'. In 1993 he which must serve as a refer­ became Director and this year the Directorate was renamed ence for the measurement of convergence in this area 'Economic statistics and economic and monetary conver­ gence'. • current balance of pay­ ments, where the harmonisa­ tion process has to go hand­in­ 1_ hand with implementation of concepts and definitions (ac­ cording to the fifth IMF manual) and with collection systems • use of the ECU, especially its ■- *---' ~*^f^^\^..·-·■ \y /¡ι commercial use for inter­company or international transactions, and in the accounting practices of mul­ tinational concerns • salary costs, which must Γ**"""—J^Ak 1 allow evaluation of the risks 1underlyin g inflation by the intro­ CMFB's June meeting in Luxembourg. The top table. From left duction of a harmonised salary to right: Roman, Glatze! and Kovarich (Eurostat), cost indicator by 1997. Duchatczek (Chairman), De Michelis (Eurostat), Carré and Louw (DG II, EC) SIGMA Summer 1995 STATISTICS AND EMU iL BS^v x5 ^— 7 E Zautzik (Banca d'Italia) Η van Wijk, Ρ Hofman Ρ Jensen (Danmarks Statistik) A Biagioli (UIC) (De Nederlandsche Bank) O I Nielsen G de Vries (CBS Nederland) (Danmarks Nationalbank) l ■' Round the delegations at the June CMFB meeting. All captions from left to right. Ρ Beck, Ν Goffinèt , J E Chapron (INSEE) B Meganck (IML Luxembourg) \ B Enfrun, J Pecha (Banque Nationale de Belgique) G Schuller (STATEC) (Banque de France) . SIGMA Summer 1995 STATISTICS AND EMU G Sifnigiannis, E Pantelidis 'R·Alvarez, A\Sapqtøz M Pinheiro (Banco de Portugal) (Bank of Greece) (Banco de España)' Ρ Dias (INE Portugal) Η Lindblom M Suur­kujala (Statistics Finland) E Nesvadba (Statistics Sweden) E Ojanen (Centralbank) (Österreichische Nationalbank) I Kramer (ÖSTAT) J Kidgell (C$OVK) Ρ Charleton R Seiler, Κ Hanau J Turnbull (Bank of England) (Central Bank of Ireland) (Deutsche Bundesbank) Β Keating (CSO, Ireland) SIGMA Summer 1995 7 STATISTICS AND EMU EMU <3jfr 'THE ONLY WAY TO GO JEAN DRAPPIER INTERVIEWS WOLFGANG DUCHATCZEK ^ j Duchatczek (46) is Chairman of the Com• mittee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Pi ments Statistics (CMFB).