Globalisation: a challenge for official statistics in Europe

1. Globalisation:a challenge for official statistics in Europe Heli Jeskanen-Sundström and Marie Bohatá

2. Context and Plan • Official statistics in Europe: • from europeanisation to globalisation • Official statistics in the age of globalisation: • current status and main challenges • the way forward from a national and a European perspective

3. From europeanisation to globalisation • We have met the europeanisation challenge • sufficient harmonisation and comparability • able to cope with the loss of the significance of internal borders • The general EU policy framework was very useful • Special arrangements in official statistics helped as well

4. From europeanisation to globalisation • The globalisation challenge is more difficult • Our global environment is legally less structured and politically less shaped • Globalisation is more spontaneous and driven by economic interests and technology • but our EU-wide co-operation and co-ordination based on a common understanding should enable us to • reach out pro-actively • promote our methods and concepts

5. Globalisation: current status • Co-operation on classifications, methods and definitions well established • Some elements for an adequate statistical description of the phenomenon are available • However, with accelerating change, it is always difficult to remain up-to-date, thus the need for a pro-active response

6. Four specific challenges • Establishing an adequate territorial delimitation • Taking into account new types of transactions and new organisational structures • Difficulties in the valuation not just of stocks, but also of flows • Consistency and comprehension of basic data

7. The way forward: national perspective • We have to bring our experience to bear and reach out • We have to be more co-operative • Support global institutions • Promote the good practices and “acquis communautaire” • Find partners among users • Network for exchange of data • Pay attention to MNE data collection and reporting • We should be more focused through a specific Globalisation Action Plan

8. The way forward: European perspective • The national perspective is already very European and even global • We should establish a firm European framework for • exchanging (individual and aggregate) data • coping with asymmetries • We should strengthen the European Approach to official statistics