1. IMTS 2010 recommendations Akos Gerencser
Hungarian Central Statistical Office Dpt. of Services and External Trade Statistics
IMTS 2010 recommendations
Akos Gerencser
MEDSTAT study visit on ITGS Budapest, May, 2013

2. IMTS 2010 Predecessor: IMTS Rev.2 – 1998
Main principles remain unchanged – scope: cross-border physical movement of goods
Need for revision:
Challenges of globalisation
Adaptation to user needs
Changing (customs) legal framework
Use of non-customs data sources
BPM6,SNA 2008
New recommendations on data compilation strategies, quality, metadata and dissemination
Textual improvements, clarifications

3. Structure of the recommendations
Unchanged
Updated recommendation
New recommendation (NR)
Updated encouragement
New encouragement (NE)
Recommendation: a standard with which countries should comply
Encouragement: a desirable practice that is not part of the standard

4. General guidelines
Trade below customs and statistical thresholds: Estimate and include if economically significant (NE)
Customs threshold: 1000 EUR or 1000 kg
EU legislation (113/2010/EU Commission regulation): List of exclusions, i.e. not to be estimated, tourism
Estimation in Intra-EU trade – VAT registered traders
Estimation for macro statistics – import of used cars

5. General guidelines
Change of ownership: Use as criteria for recording of certain goods only in exceptional cases when the general guideline is not applicable or not sufficient (NR)
Conceptual difference maintained compared to Balance of Payments and National accounts
Requires significant efforts and resources to bridge between IMTS and BoP/NA
Non-resident traders: VAT-resident, EORI trader, electricity/gas trader (10-20% of total trade in HU)

6. Specific guidelines
Goods for processing as well as goods resulting from such processing where no change of ownership takes place: Include and explicitly identify (preferably by special coding) in your trade statistics (NE)
Identification through Customs Procedure Code (extra-EU trade) and Nature of Transaction Code (extra- and intra-EU trade)
IMTS: gross recording, BPM6/NA: services – net recording

7. Specific guidelines
Goods which cross borders as a result of transactions between related parties: Include and separately identify (code) (NE)
Global Value Chains, transfer pricing
Identification via Register and/or Nature of Transaction Code (future legislation)

8. Trade System
Elements of the statistical territory: Make clear which elements exist and are included in the statistical territory (NR)
Customs warehouse, industrial free zones, commercial free zones, premises for inward processing
Islands, territorial waters, continental shelf, offshore, space installations and apparatus, enclaves

9. Trade system
Reimports and re-exports: Include and identify (code) separately for analytical purposes (NR)
Definition
Identification: Customs Procedure Code, Nature of Trancaction Code or Country of origin – Quality?

10. Trade System
Customs procedure codes: Make information about the customs procedure applied to individual transactions part of the data set for trade statistics (NR)
SAD Box 37, available internally

11. Commodity Classification
Standard International Trade Classification (SITC): Use SITC for the dissemination and the analysis of trade statistics according to user requirements
General practice in HU
Correspondence between CN8 and SITC Rev.4

12. Partner country
Calculation of trade balances: Use imports by country of origin and exports by country of last known destination (NR)
Import partner country in national dissemination of HU: country of consigment

13. Mode of transport
Compilation of mode of transport: Compile and disseminate international merchandise trade statistics by mode of transport at the most detailed commodity level (as a new data dimension) (NR)
Data element is available for both Intra- and Extra-EU trade at request
Not part of regular dissemination at the moment

14. Mode of transport
Recording of mode of transport: Record as mode of transport the means of transport used when goods enter or leave the economic territory (NR)
Data element available, Extrastat: SAD Box 25., Intrastat data element

15. Mode of transport
Classification: Clearly indicate the contents of the categories used; countries are encouraged to follow the suggested classification for the compilation and reporting of trade statistics by mode of transport (NR)
EU nomenclature:
1 – Sea transport
2 - Rail transport
3 – Road transport
4 - Air transport
5 – Postal consignment
7 – Fixed transport installations
8 – Inland waterway transport
9 – Own propulsion

16. Data compilation strategies
Use of customs records: Use customs records as the main and normally preferred data source (NR)
Administrative data source, good coverage, general quality, no additional burden for traders
Not available in Customs Union

17. Data compilation strategies
Allocation of customs procedures: Closely cooperate with customs experts in order to correctly allocate customs procedure codes and associated trade transactions according to the general or the special trade system (NR)
Customs procedure to Statistical procedure
EU requirements in DOC MET 400 (gentlemen’s agreement)

18. Data compilation strategies
Integrated approach to data collection: In the case of the use of non-customs data sources, such as enterprise surveys, use an integrated approach to data collection and make use of business registers and enterprise identification numbers in order to obtain the required information with minimal costs and burden on enterprises (NR)
In line with the practice of Intrastat
Micro-data linking, TEC
Matching problems

19. Data compilation strategies
Institutional arrangements: Consider as a matter of high priority the establishment of the institutional arrangements necessary to ensure the compilation of high-quality trade statistics and periodically review their effectiveness (NR)
Institutional arrangements with Customs Authority, Tax Authority
Merger: National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (2011)
Review every year
Institutional Arrangement with Energy Office is a pending task

20. Data quality and metadata
Systematic approach to data quality: Follow a systematic approach to data quality and develop standards and related good practices covering the institutional arrangements, the statistical processes and outputs (the entire trade statistics programme) (NR)
Very detailed Institutional arrangements
Internal documentation on all aspects data processing (Kopint Datorg)

21. Data quality and metadata
Standard for quality reports: Develop a standard for regular quality reports that cover the full range of statistical processes and outputs and are based on principles and standards (NR)
Regulary (yearly) Quality Report required by Eurostat
Pre-filled template

22. Data quality and metadata
Frequency of quality reports: Complete or update quality reports of international merchandise trade statistics at least every five years, or more frequently if significant methodological changes or changes in the data sources occur (NR)

23. Data quality and metadata
Contents of quality reports: Base quality reports on a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators for international merchandise trade statistics and on a checklist covering data collection, processing and dissemination in order to allow for an assessment of strengths and weaknesses in the statistical process and to identify possible quality improvement actions (NR)

24. Data quality and metadata
Dimensions of data quality: Take the following dimensions into account when developing a quality assessment framework: prerequisites of quality, relevance, credibility, accuracy, timeliness, methodological soundness, coherence and accessibility (NR)
Standard dimensions of Quality reports within the EU

25. Data quality and metadata
Quality indicators: Ensure that the defined quality indicators satisfy the following criteria: (a) they cover all dimensions of quality; (b) they are based on the consistent application of a sound methodology; (c) the indicators are easy to interpret by both internal and external users (NR)

26. Data quality and metadata
Metadata categories: Cover at least the categories of metadata provided in para (NR)
Concepts and definitions
Legal framework, institutional arrangements, data sources
Data collection and processing procedures
Estimation methods
Dissemination policy, including release calendar and revision policy
Description of data elements
Explanations and footnotes concerning the data, as required, e.g., informing users about revisions, break in series and application of confidentiality,etc
Quality repoting

27. Data quality and metadata
Metadata as high priority: View the development of metadata as a high priority and consider their dissemination an integral part of the dissemination of international merchandise trade statistics (NR)

28. Dissemination
Confidentiality rules: Use passive confidentiality as much as possible, unless the use of active confidentiality is already the established, desired and accepted practice (NR)

29. Dissemination
Publication of provisional estimates: Explore the possibility of publishing provisional estimates soon after the end of the reference period (NE)
Dissemination of aggregated data by T+40

30. Dissemination
Data dissemination: Treat all users equally and disseminate data without preference to any national or international user group. Choose the dissemination format that best suits user needs (NR)
Impartiality: Dissemination database, most detailed data, free of charge

31. Supplementary topics
Linking business and trade statistics: Integrate the trade register with the business register and take steps towards an integrated system of economics statistics for data compilation and analysis (NE)
TEC exercise

32. Thank you for your attention! akos.gerencser@ksh.hu