Recent Developments in OECD Countries: Trade Statistics and Economic Trends

1. OECD OCDE ORGANISATION DE COOPÉRATION ET DE DEVELOPMENT ÉCONOMIQUES Recent developments in OECD countries ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Country reports received from member countries STATISTICS DIRECTORATE – INTERNATIONAL TRADE & STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS 1

2. Introduction • OECD has issued a short “development framework questionnaire to countries asking for the approximate delivery of merchandise trade data in 2006 for reference year 2005 and developments during the past 12-18 months • Response rate was high with 23 countries reporting - Thank you! • The answers obtained allow to distil some common patterns with regard to • The possibilities of 2006 data deliveries (optimized calendar) • Some key developments which could give rise to • Promoting joint research projects amongst countries and with OECD • Explore new promising fields of investigation

3. Approximate date for 2006 annual detailed data

4. Annual detailed data in 2006 • With the exception of 3 countries, provisional data could be supplied by February/March • All countries could at least supply provisional data by end June • With only 2 exceptions, final data could be made available by September

5. Approximate date for 2006 monthly data

6. Monthly data in 2006 • Total Values should become available before 5o days for all but 6 countries • Totals by partner and by SITC Section should be available after 10 weeks • No uniform pattern for Volume and value indices: ranges from 4 weeks to over 90 days (incl. 90 days after last quarter)

7. Developments during the past 12 to 18 months • Three questions were asked, namely • a) Operational/managerial improvements having led to improved timeliness and/or improved quality/coverage; • b) Particular research work (e.g. reconciliation exercises, methodological research). Main objective(s) and outcomes; • c) Studies/research with respect to the use and possible linking of registers (interoperability of registers):

8. Country developments • Full responses are given in paper STD/NAES/TASS/ITS(2005)4 • Virtually all reported managerial and organisational improvements • Many countries report bilateral reconciliation exercises with (most often neighbouring) countries • FTS <=> BOP

9. Country developments (cont’d) • Impact of the Rotterdam Effect on asymmetries (UK and Germany) • VAT fraud (UK) • Micro data exchange Belgium and the Netherlands • Switzerland: Finding the balance between EU and UN trade concepts and definitions • Canada: Importer register for the 1st time and reconciliation exercise with China

10. Country developments • Turkey: plans to publish trade statistics according to both the general and special trade system • Australia: data confrontation with tourism satellite accounts • Austria: Foreign trade macro indicators • Sweden: Organisational change to produce more coherent economic statistics • United States: Automated Export System, unique exporter ID, Work started on Importer Database

11. Country developments • A very significant number of countries reported register linking exercises …which will be dealt with in more detail under agenda item 8 • Countries include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, United Kingdom. Hungary, Poland, Turkey…