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 DisseminationStandards Bulletin Board Reviews of the Fund's Data Standards' Initiatives (Reviews) Special Data Dissemination Standard Site (SDDS) Introduction Metadata Data What's New Contact Us General Data Dissemination System Site (GDDS) Data Quality Reference Site (DQRS) |
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| The Data: Coverage, Periodicity, and Timeliness | ||||||||||||
| Coverage characteristics | 5.1.1 Statistical presentation The data dissemination program of the FSO is impressive in terms of the dissemination formats, the targeting of different market segments, and the large volume of detailed series that users can readily access. Data are disseminated in millions of EUR (from reference month January 2002) on total exports (fob) and imports (cif). Seasonally adjusted data are also published. | |||||||||||
| Periodicity | 4.1.1 Periodicity Monthly | |||||||||||
| Timeliness | 4.1.2 Timeliness 40 days after the end of the reference month. | |||||||||||
| Access by the Public | ||||||||||||
| Advance dissemination of release calendar | 5.1.3 Advance release calendar An advance release calendar that gives the precise release dates for the coming year, and for January and February of the following year, is disseminated at the end of October each year on the Internet website of the Federal Statistical Office (http://www.destatis.de/). A notice to this effect is published in the Federal Statistical Office's monthly "Wirtschaft und Statistik". | |||||||||||
| Simultaneous release to all interested parties | 5.1.4 Simultaneous release The data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing the press release "Foreign Trade" which is placed on the Internet website of the Federal Statistical Office (http://www.destatis.de/) at the same time as the release of the hardcopy version. A note to this effect is published in the Federal Statistical Office "Subject-matter series 7 subseries 1". | |||||||||||
| Integrity | ||||||||||||
| Dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including those relating to the confidentiality of individually identifiable information | 0.1.1 Responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics Federal Statistical Office The Basic Law (Constitution) establishing the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 assigns to the Federation the exclusive legislative power in matters of statistics for federal purposes. On July 3, 1953 the Federal Statistics Law was adopted by the Bundestag. The law was subsiquently fundamentally amended in 1987 (Law on Statistics for Federal Purposes (Federal Statistics Law) of January 22, 1987), the last amendment had been recently passed by the Bundestag. The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Länder statistical offices (LSOs) had been established before the adoption of the Federal Statistics Law in 1953. With the reunification of October 3, 1990, the statistical laws of the Federal Republic of Germany came into force in the territory of the former German Democratic Republic. LSOs were set up in the new Länder within a short period of time. The system of official statistics in Germany is based on three fundamental principles:
Reflecting in part the 1983 Decision of the Federal Constitutional Court concerning the population census (which in consequence was deferred from 1983 to 1987), the Federal Statistics Law of 1987 covers, among other things:
Each law to authorize a statistical survey must state whether or not the requirement to respond is compulsory. Surveys carried out for statistical purposes at the European level (see below) can only be carried out on a compulsory basis if the governing EU legal act or national legislation explicitly provides for such. Surveys may be carried out for short-term purposes without due legal process, but their scope is limited and compliance is voluntary. Legal authorization is not necessary to compile federal statistics by “drawing exclusively upon data from generally accessible sources.” The FSO/LSOs may only be granted access to “closed” databases, such as those for taxation and social security, if the underlying legislation or other legal provisions stipulate that these databases may be transmitted to them for statistical purposes. The Federal Statistics Law mandates the FSO as an independent superior federal authority (selbständige Bundesoberbehörde) under the administrative supervision of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, thus requiring Ministry approval for decisions on organizational structure, legal matters with regard to personnel, and finance. (The Federal Ministry of the Interior manages the FSO budget through the federal budgetary processes. That ministry also has responsibility for taking care of the overall strategic development of statistics in Germany, which includes dealing with any policy aspects of EU statistical requirements and overall relationships between the FSO and LSOs.) The FSO also falls under the specialist supervision of the various federal ministries with respect to particular statistical subjects, meaning that the relevant ministry assumes the political accountability for correct implementation of specific laws relating to federal statistics. Regarding the actual statistical work, the FSO is not bound by instructions and has to adhere only to the principles of neutrality, objectivity, and scientific independence as provided for in the Federal Statistics Law. As previously noted, much statistical work in Germany derives from the needs of the EU. The division of labor and principles of cooperation between Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities) and the statistical institutes of the Member States are laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 322/97 on Community Statistics. A large number of EU acts regarding individual statistics stipulate the methodological and conceptual requirements for comparability of major statistics for Community purposes. Merchandise trade Foreign trade statistics are based essentially on the following legal foundations of the European Union in the version valid at the time:
In addition, the following German laws are applied:
0.1.2 Data sharing and coordination among data producing agencies Federal Statistical Office Coordination: The functional centralization and regional decentralization dimensions to the German statistical arrangements necessitate well-developed coordination and data-sharing arrangements among data-producing agencies. Within the system of federal statistics, the FSO responsibilities include the methodological and technical preparation of federal statistics, the coordination of individual statistics, and the compilation, presentation, and publication of federal results. The FSO has to ensure that federal statistics are produced in the LSOs without overlaps, according to uniform concepts, and on time. The main share of the work related to the conduct of surveys is performed by the LSOs, which collect and process data for federal statistics on a large scale. A number of key coordination bodies exist:
Data Sharing: The legislation governing the data sharing arrangements between the FSO and the LSOs in the conduct of federal statistics has been described above. Administrative data are used in federal statistics to a large extent in areas such as education statistics, health statistics, finance and tax statistics, and aspects of labor market statistics. Increasing efforts are being made to use administrative by-product data in the compilation of economic statistics. As a general rule, the statistical offices only have access to administrative data sources if this is explicitly stipulated by law. Two examples are the law on statistical registers (Statistikregistergesetz) and the law on the use of administrative data (Verwaltungsdatenverwendungsgesetz). For reasons of statistical confidentiality it is not permitted to use statistical surveys for register updating purposes outside the statistical offices. At the federal level, close cooperation exists between the FSO and the Bundesbank which, on the one hand, receives foreign trade data for balance of payments compilation from the FSO and, on the other hand, compiles financial accounts data for purposes of national accounts compilation. The FSO and the Bundesbank cooperate closely on the seasonal adjustment of important time series prior to their dissemination by FSO. Merchandise trade The German foreign trade data is exchanged within the FSO (e.g. national accounts) and outside of the FSO with the German Bundesbank (balance of payment statistics, seasonal adjustment). In order to check the correctness of the Intrastat data (trade with other EU member states) the FSO receives information on the advance return for VAT from the regional finance offices (Oberfinanzdirektionen). However, no information is transmitted back to the finance offices. 0.1.3 Confidentiality of individual reporters' data Federal Statistical Office The German situation can be considered in respect of three dimensions: a) Rules and regulations to prevent disclosure German legal acts strictly protect confidentiality. Procedures exist and are agreed at the European level. The confidentiality of individual data is seen as much more than a legal obligation; the statistical system depends on being trusted and accepted by the citizens, especially to ensure high-quality responses to statistical enquiries. As regards statistics, confidentiality is guaranteed by Article 16 of the Federal Statistics Law. This is stricter than the German Data Protection Act by which confidentiality and data privacy are generally regulated in Germany. The Federal Statistics Law requires that respondents must be informed about their rights and obligations in providing statistical information. This rule is strictly followed. This applies also to the notification that individual data are only used for statistical purposes and possibly—subject to protection procedures—for scientific purposes. The unauthorized disclosure of individual statistical data by the statistical staff entrusted with the operation of federal statistics, or by the persons specially sworn in for public service, is a punishable act. Pursuant to Article 203 of the Penal Code, a violation of confidentiality is liable to a fine or to imprisonment of up to two years. Staff members of the FSO (public officials and employees) will have to face disciplinary or labor law consequences—in addition to the above criminal penalties—if they violate their vow of secrecy and fidelity. So far, there have been no criminal proceedings for violations of confidentiality, indicative of the fact that the statistical staff are strictly and completely abiding by their obligation of confidentiality. The Federal Statistics Law also provides for penalties in the case of violations of the prohibition on reidentification of respondents for other than statistical purposes (Article 21, Federal Statistics Law). Under penalty of imprisonment for one year or of a fine, it is prohibited to willfully match individual data from federal statistics to establish a reference to persons, enterprises, establishments, or local units. b) Protection of confidentiality in tables and microdata files As regards the confidentiality of data in tables, methods of primary and secondary confidentiality checking have been developed and are used. For business and agriculture surveys, disclosure risk assessment is based on concentration-rules. Cell suppression is used to prevent residual disclosure in tables for dissemination. In 2001, the FSO established a research data center. Another research data center was set up in March 2002 as a joint facility of all LSOs. The major goal of these research data centers is to facilitate access to the underlying microdata of official statistics for the scientific community under strictly regulated conditions. c) Confidentiality during storage and destruction of records/security of the IT systems A system of central data storage with selective access operates at the FSO. The secure deletion of files and disposal of paper and other data media (disks, CD-ROMs, hard disks, magnetic tapes, etc.) is guaranteed in accordance with data protection rules (secure-access storage until collection and shredding by a contractor). Access to the FSO’s premises is only possible with a service identity card (card reader) or with registration at the reception. The details concerning visitors, cleaners, and others are laid down in the Rules of Procedure for the FSO and in the FSO's instructions to the reception staff. Buildings or rooms that contain the computing center, central data interchange points, telephone installations, data media and programming files archives, or other classified materials are additionally monitored or protected by fences with barbed wire tops, infrared barriers, video surveillance, partly hardened facades, and police-monitored burglar alarm systems. Access to the computing center is controlled by code cards and single-person gates. Additional security zones have been established in the computing center and the adjoining IT areas, which can only be accessed using a code card or key (master key system) by authorized persons on an individual need basis. As regards the IT areas, special access arrangements exist for visitors, cleaners, and maintenance staff. The individual offices are usually not locked. Registration on any IT system requires a personal user identification and password, which are adequately secured by cryptographic techniques. The internal network is secured against unauthorized outside access by a redundant firewall architecture. Merchandise trade The passive confidentiality rules in the specific area of foreign trade statistics are ruled by Art. 22 of the Regulation (EC) No. 1172/95 and by Art. 11 of Regulation (EC) No. 638/2004. The FSO is obliged by law to maintain a specific level of secrecy of the data provided by respondents of foreign trade statistics. This means that individual data, i.e. data in a more detailed breakdown than goods, countries and Länder must not be disclosed, except if requested by the competent supreme federal and Land authorities. However, under no circumstances may the names of respondents be disclosed. Consequently, results may be published in a breakdown by types of goods, countries and Länder, provided that no data of individual respondents are shown. 0.1.4 Ensuring statistical reporting Federal Statistical Office As previously described, a foundational issue for Germany’s statistics is the principle of legality. In its judgment of December 15, 1983 on the 1983 population census, the Federal Constitutional Court determined that statistical surveys involving the obligation to provide information must be considered in the context of the constitutional right to informational self-determination (Article 2 of the Basic Law). Such surveys require specific legal authorization that is clearly defined in advance. Therefore—with very few exceptions—laws are passed that define all major parameters of particular surveys (especially variables, group of reporting units, periodicity). The Ministry responsible for the subject field of the survey oversees a process in which the FSO drafts a bill to cover the particular new survey. Extensive coordination is required, involving all stakeholders, ultimately leading to the bills being submitted for Bundestag and Bundesrat consideration. In practice, parliamentary debate on the bill focuses on issues of costs and reporting load, in a context where the survey content and parameters have been fully considered during the coordination process. While the process of having the new legislation passed can take up to two years, the laws typically relate to surveys that will be on-going rather than addressing short-term, one-off issues. The law covering a particular federal statistic must determine whether, and to what extent, the survey is to be conducted with or without an obligation to provide information. If an obligation to provide information has been stipulated, all natural legal persons under private and public law, associations of persons, public authorities of the Federation and the Länder, as well as communities and local authorities shall be liable to reply to duly ordered questions. If a person does not render information at all or misleadingly, not completely, or not in due time, this irregularity may be punishable by a fine not exceeding 5,000 euros (Article 23 of the Federal Statistical Law). Official statistics in Germany are also determined by a large number of European laws, mainly regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council, supplemented by regulations of the Commission. The legislative bodies, when considering statistical laws, take into account the burden placed on respondents. The FSO takes measures to reduce the burden on respondents and, in cooperation with the statistical offices of the Länder, endeavors to use readily understood wordings in the questionnaires. Also, a system is being developed to obtain data direct from the businesses’ accounting systems. A study of statistical burden on enterprises was conducted in Germany for the first time in 1979, it was updated for selected centrailized surveys in 2003, and the German Institute for Economic Research prepared a study in 2006. The response burden is also being reduced by measures such as restricting sample sizes and range and detail of surveys to the essential minimum, making more extensive use of data from administrative registers, and applying rotation schemes in sample designs to ensure that the response load is spread as widely as possible over survey populations. Every questionnaire indicates contact persons who can provide assistance in responding. Questionnaires are standardized with information (e.g., the questionnaire heading is always put at the same place on the questionnaire). Also, every questionnaire provides information on how to complete the questionnaire and explanations for answering the questions. The respondents are provided with information on the results of the survey. Also, every paper and Internet questionnaire contains legally required information on the purpose, type, and scope of the survey, obligation to provide information, reporting unit, confidentiality, and other aspects of the survey. To reduce administrative burden the German Government has decided to implement the Standard-Cost-Model in Germany and to set a clear target of reducing administrative costs. In this context the FSO is responsible for the methodological implementation and carries out the measurements of the administrative costs in respect of regulation. With this method it is possible to identify standardised figures for the resources used by businesses in order to comply with specific laws and executive orders. Merchandise trade With regard to the ensuring of statistical reporting, a differentiation between the Intrastat system (intra EU trade) and the Extrastat system (trade with third countries) is necessary, as these data are compiled differently. In Intrastat the trading enterprises are obliged to report their imports and exports with other EU member states if their trade value exceeds a certain threshold (currently 400.000 Euros). In order to assure that the enterprises report completely and on time their trade, a business register is maintained by the foreign trade division of the FSO which includes apart from addresses and contact persons also the reported trade values and the values of the advances VAT return. If enterprises have not fulfilled their obligation to provide information, they are reminded by the FSO to do so. Depending on the value of their intra community trade operations, the respondents are classified under different size classes. This classification is used for a staged control and reminding procedure. Within a period of six months, however, all enterprises are checked for whether they have submitted their Intrastat declarations. If enterprises do not fulfill their obligations, the FSO may also institute proceedings against them because of administrative offences and it may impose fines. 0.2.1 Staff, facilities, computing resources, and financing Federal Statistical Office Staffing Over the last 15 years the number of staff of the FSO and the LSOs has decreased considerably at the same time as the statistical workload has been increasing. In July 2008, the total number of staff of the FSO is 2,710 (16,4 percent A-Level---higher service, 34,1 percent B-Level--higher intermediate service, 44,9 percent C-Level---intermediate and ordinary service, 4,6 % apprentices). Currently, 5,680 staff in total work in the LSOs. The current legal and administrative arrangements for statistics in Germany result in significant overhead costs that some other national statistical systems (such as those in Canada and Australia) do not need to bear. There is significant investment in human resources development, which is embedded in the corporate culture of the FSO. Formal performance management assessments for civil servants are undertaken every three years, with the intention to move to annual assessments. For employees, no regular performance assessments are undertaken. Performance management arrangements could be strengthened for all staff. Remuneration arrangements for FSO staff are consistent with wider public administration arrangements, and are assessed as appropriate. Computing resources High performance computers with the latest technology are used in compiling and disseminating statistical series. The IT Budget for expenditures on material and services amounts to 12 million euros per year. Modern data storage arrangements and wide area networks with high bandwidth support the work of the statisticians. Innovative applications in concert with the e-Government program of the national administration are running for all customers of the statistical office. For compiling and analyzing statistics, the FSO uses modern and updated standard software packages (SAS Version 9, Office XP, etc.) complemented by in-house developed software. The product „eStatistik.core“, which was developed for the LSOs and FSO under the auspices of the FSO, has won following awards: 5. eGovernment award within “Economics and Labour politics”, the 7. International Speyerer Quality award as soon as the award „BundOnline SuperStar” in the category “Government to Business”. Strong technical cooperation exists between the FSO and the LSOs. According to the principle “one for all,” software is developed to be portable and used in each of the 16 computer centers within the national statistical system. Internet technology has been used in the closely linked but distributed production system. Standard tools for online reporting, processing, and dissemination via statistical information systems are used to build up the national distributed IT architecture. The security of IT systems is of particular importance (see Section 0.1.3 above). An IT Security Plan was developed on the basis of the methodology of the Baseline Protection Manual of the German Federal Office for Security in Information. Physical facilities According to an employee survey conducted in early 2005, the staff of the FSO is generally satisfied with its workplace conditions: 77 percent are satisfied with the size of their offices, 67 percent with their furnishings, 85 percent with the workplace PC equipment, and 52 percent with the conference room capacities. A replacement building complex for the staff of the headquarters of the FSO will be provided in 2009. Financial resources The FSO is budgeted as an authority in the Federal Ministry of the Interior's sphere of responsibility. The LSOs are funded by the Länder governments. Up to now, budgeting has been done on a cameral basis. Funds are assigned to major groups with input orientation and allocated between categories, such as personnel expenditure, material and administrative expenditure, building investment expenditure, and other investment expenditure. In addition to the cameral budget, the FSO has introduced on a trial basis a system of cost and activity accounting, which is a reporting system to record, analyze, and document the costs incurred and to process the data collected for the use by chief executives and for auditing purposes. In that system, cost types—in a breakdown by cost centers (organizational units) and cost units (products)—are developed as part of a reporting system, and processed for the president and the controlling system. Because more than 70 percent of the budget is used for staff resources, the product-oriented deployment of staff at the FSO is particularly important. For that purpose, a web-based module is used to collect time spent on particular activities. Staff members record their time spent (input) for the relevant products (output). The response rate for such recordings is consistently over 98 percent. A product portfolio based on cost-benefit analyses was drawn up earlier in 2005 to support priority-setting. The medium-term financial plan of the federal budget provides information on the resources likely to be available over the next five years. To cope with the additional and other foreseeable medium-term statistical tasks, taking into account a parallel reduction in the available financial and human resources and doing this with an acceptable quality, there is a need to organize work more effectively and to set priorities. In response, the FSO in 2004 launched a systematic multiannual program and resource planning scheme, based on its strategic goals. Proceeding from the resources available to the office, priority is given to those projects that will yield the comparatively largest contribution to the achievement of the strategic goals. The result is documented in the Strategy and Program Plan. The Third Strategy and Program Plan covers 2007-2011 0.2.2 Ensuring efficient use of resources Federal Statistical Office The FSO and the LSOs have recognized the increasingly tight resource situation facing them in the medium term. The strategic plan of the FSO (“fit 2012”) has efficiency as one of its strategic objectives. A master plan for cooperation between the FSO and the LSOs based on a decision of the relevant federal and Land ministries, is being implemented, which reassesses the traditional mutual statistical arrangements. Actions already under way to improve efficiency include the following:
The FSO together with the LSOs has established a working group on standardizing statistical production. This working group develops and examines standards for documenting steps in production. Within this framework, uniform standards have already been specified for the subprocesses on questionnaire design and plausibility checks. 0.3.1 Monitoring user requirements Federal Statistical Office The Statistical Advisory Committee advises the FSO on fundamental issues and initiates plans for further developments. It prepares a report at the end of the legislative term in which it evaluates proposals for the statistical program of the past period and makes new proposals for the period to come. Its legal provisions are laid down in Article 4 of the Federal Statistics Law. The Statistical Advisory Committee comprises representatives of all groups involved in producing federal statistics, as well as users and respondents (LSOs, federal ministries, the Bundesbank, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, municipal central associations, business associations, environmental and agricultural organizations, trade unions, science, and Eurostat). It is convened once a year, with meetings chaired by the President of the FSO. The statistical offices, as well as the federal ministries, have no right to vote (the committee has a purely advisory function). Expert committees commissioned by the Statistical Advisory Committee and other statistical working parties deal with specialist subjects. Discussions of expert committees can make it possible to tap the knowledge and the experience of external experts for the planning and development of official statistics. Users and respondents are given a chance to articulate their interests. At the same time, representatives of official statistics may explain their concerns and clarify the feasibility of proposals in discussions with the parties concerned. The expert bodies, as a rule, are consistent with the subject matter organizational structure of the FSO. Thus, for example, expert committees meet on statistics on manufacturing, environmental statistics, and social statistics. Also expert committees exist for cross-sectional areas of statistics, such as classifications and regional statistics. The expert committees are chaired by the responsible departmental heads of the FSO. User surveys are conducted periodically. For example, in the context of developing a new corporate design, a user survey was conducted among the media, scientists, policymakers and others. In this context, the public at large was also surveyed (if the office is known, what reputation it has, etc.). Further surveys were conducted among Internet users visiting the FSO’s homepage, and special surveys asked parliamentary users about their satisfaction with statistical services or special statistical areas. A user satisfaction survey was undertaken as part of the German data module ROSC assessment; see Appendix III for a summary assessment of users’ views (http://www.imf.org). Major partners of the Federal Statistical Office in shaping and further developing the system and programme of federal statistics are the institutions represented in the Statistical Advisory Committee. At its meeting on 21 June 2005, the Statistical Advisory Committee agreed to a regular measurement of the partners’ satisfaction. The survey, which is planned to be conducted every three years, was first carried out in spring 2006. The results of the survey were presented to the Statistical Advisory Committee at its meeting on 21 June 2006. It is intended to set up an “Advisory Committe Barometer” which will reflect changes over time. Emerging data requirements are an important element in the Strategy and Program Plan of the FSO, which will be compiled every year as a rolling forecast, initially covering a period of two years and to be extended to five years in the future. Prior to adopting new statistical laws, the departments or units responsible for a subject field typically organize meetings enabling users to express their needs for data, before the conclusion of the legislative process. Representatives of German official statistics closely cooperate with scientists on further developments in statistics. Annual seminars held jointly with the German Statistical Society are frequently devoted to developing methodological improvements in official statistics. A newly created Council for Economic and Social Data articulates the statistical requirements of the scientific community. As previously noted, the program of official statistics in Germany is determined very strongly by the (new) data needs of European institutions. At the European and international level, the FSO participates in international meetings of chief statisticians and of working groups held by various institutions, such as the European Council Working Party for Statistics, the Statistical Programme Committee (Eurostat), and the Statistical Commission (United Nations). The FSO participates in statistical meetings of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Germany has also played an active role in the International Statistical Institute (ISI) and the International Association for Official Statistics (IAOS). The FSO made a major contribution to the organizational and thematic arrangements in preparation for the 54th ISI World Session held in Berlin in August 2003, which was attended by approximately 2,000 participants. From a scientific point of view, the FSO attaches great importance to participation in the ISI and its sections. Merchandise trade The requirements of the most important users of the foreign trade statistics are assessed regularly by an expert committee. Members of this committee are federal ministries, the Bundesbank, the LSOs, business associations, economic research institutes and others. In addition to these committees in the year 1999 a user survey was conducted which included permanent customers of the foreign trade statistics. Six hundred out of the 1,400 questionnaires were returned. Out of these 70% came from enterprises, 16% from business associations, and 13% from the public administration. As in general the customer needs do not change quickly, the results of this survey are still valid. 0.4.1 Quality policy Federal Statistical Office The system of official statistics follows international and European quality standards. Germany has adopted the UN Fundamental Principles for Official Statistics and subscribed to the IMF Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The FSO is establishing a quality management system based on the framework of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). The commitment to quality is one of the key issues in the FSO’s strategic objectives (“fit 2012”). Managers are held accountable for quality as the annual planning cycle focuses on the results obtained relative to the strategic objectives. In addition, data quality is a standard module in the mandatory training programs for new staff (comprising all hierarchical levels). Staff training programs on data quality are offered periodically. In addition, staff is encouraged to participate in European training courses. The FSO actively participates in working groups or task forces dealing with quality issues: the FSO was a member of the EU Leadership Expert Group (LEG) on Quality and of the LEG on Quality Implementation Group. The most recent example is the participation of the FSO in the development of a “Code of Practice” for Eurostat and the national statistical institutes of the EU, which was adopted by the Statistical Programme Committee in February 2005. Based on the quality concept developed in the European Statistical System, a joint quality concept for German official statistics was agreed upon with the statistical offices of the Länder in 2004. A further document, the Quality Standards of German Official Statistics, details quality assurance measures applied in statistics production, including possible trade-offs. Data quality issues related to specific statistical programs are also discussed in detail by expert committees and subcommittees of the Statistical Advisory Committee. 0.4.2 Quality monitoring Federal Statistical Office The organization of the FSO provides for methodological expertise in all subject matter departments. In addition, expert advice is provided by three specialist groups:
Data quality reports are currently being produced for all statistical areas. The quality reports cover all quality components of the ESS Standard Quality Report and briefly describe for users the data quality in each of the federal statistics. They are to be updated on an annual basis and published in all standard publications as well as on the Internet. Since the end of 2005, quality reports are available for all federal statistics. In addition, a new concept of quality reviews, possibly including elements of self-assessment and auditing, is currently under discussion. For the quality dimension “punctuality,” a monitoring system has been established (an early alert system). The results of the alert system are regularly reported to the heads of the LSOs. This enables each statistical office to compare the punctuality of its data delivery with others for benchmarking purposes. Also at the European level, the timeliness of major economic indicators is checked regularly by Eurostat by way of benchmarking. 0.4.3 Quality planning Federal Statistical Office The strategic goals of the FSO are defined in the (previously mentioned) “fit 2012” and form the basis for the annual and multiyear planning cycle. The actual statistical program is set out in the Strategy and Program Plan.1.1.1 Impartiality of statistics Federal Statistical Office Article 1 of the Federal Statistics Law mandates that “Federal Statistics shall be subject to the principles of neutrality, objectivity and scientific independence.” Article 2 of the Law prescribes the FSO as an independent superior federal authority (selbständige Bundesoberbehörde) within the portfolio of the Federal Minister of the Interior. The President of the FSO is appointed by the Federal President on the proposal of the Federal Government. The term of office of the President of the FSO, as a civil servant, is unlimited until 65 years of age. Dismissal is not possible because he/she is a civil servant. Removal from service would only be feasible based on disciplinary law. Because he/she is a civil servant he/she can, in principle, be moved to another (nonstatistical) post without a specific reason. This has never happened against the will of the person. If there is a change in the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, this will not impact on the position of the President of the FSO. He/she will not be removed from the post. It might be noted that the President of the FSO is, at the same time, ex officio Federal Returning Officer, responsible for the federal, and the German component of European, elections; no conflict of interest, real or apparent, is seen to arise in this regard. The current president of the FSO is Mr. Roderich Egeler. The FSO actively promotes professionalism. Careful selection of staff is undertaken to match new recruits with the needs of the organization. Extensive staff development and training opportunities are available, and an active research and development program is promoted. Staff frequently participate in international meetings. To encourage academic statisticians to contribute to the research on official statistics, each year the FSO (on the basis of the decision of a jury of external experts) rewards outstanding degree and doctoral dissertations dealing with topics of relevance for official statistics with an award called the “Gerhard-Fürst-Preis.” The FSO publication Wirtschaft and Statistik and other publications provide staff with an opportunity to publish papers on research and development activities in German statistics. 1.1.2 Selection of sources, methodology, and modes of dissemination Federal Statistical Office Within the context of the Federal Statistics Law’s mandate for neutrality, objectivity, and scientific independence, the FSO chooses data sources based on best fit for the statistical needs. LSOs are involved in these deliberations, as appropriate. The Federal Statistics Law requires federal statistics to be published. The statistical results are first published in a press release. The FSO publishes about 550 press releases per year (i.e. approximately 50 are covering foreign trade statistics). The day before publishing, the responsible statistical departments prepare the releases, the press office finalizes the content and format, and the President of the FSO gives the final approval. The FSO does not need political approval to publish statistical information. This also holds for press releases. Within the context of defined pre-embargo access arrangements, statistics are made available to all users at the same time. In exceptional cases, ministries with specific subject-matter interests are provided with advance information at close of business on the day preceding publication (on the morning of publication in the case of national accounts). This applies to statistics that the media typically expect the ministries to comment on immediately after they have been issued by the statistical office. The corresponding press release of the FSO is not furnished with commentary by the federal ministries. The press releases are published at 8:00 a.m. (CET) in Wiesbaden by fax, satellite, e-mail, and on the Internet. The publication dates are announced in a yearly and weekly advance release calendar. Statistical data of top interest to journalists are announced in a press conference (about 10–20 events yearly). 1.1.3 Commenting on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics Federal Statistical Office The reactions of the media in Germany to publications of the FSO, as well as articles in the media on other aspects of the office, are monitored and evaluated daily. In the case of inappropriate reporting by the media, the FSO, depending on the circumstances, may:
1.2.1 Disclosure of terms and conditions for statistical collection, processing, and dissemination Federal Statistical Office Copies of the legislation are available from: Bundesanzeiger, Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H. Köln, Amsterdamer Straße 192, D-50735 Köln, vertrieb@bundesanzeiger.de Information on the terms and conditions under which statistical series are compiled and disseminated are available to the public at the website www.destatis.de. Information on the mandate of the FSO, its function, its objectives, the Strategy and Program Plan, the Annual Report, and further information about the organization is provided on the website in a special menu item “About Us.” Further, the Federal Statistics Law and all relevant legal texts for statistical production are published on the website, comprising relevant information on confidentiality and the handling of confidential data. The menu item entitled “Scientific Forum” provides information on major national and international trends in the field of official statistics and information on the Joint Scientific Colloquia of the FSO and the German Statistical Society. In “Statistics from A–Z” on the website, a special service is presented to journalists and other interested users. The documentation presents all relevant statistical metadata for a given issue. In the case of new statistics, journalists receive methodological information at press conferences, where the head of the office regularly provides information about statistical topics of current interest. All information for press conferences is also published on the website for the public as well. All statistical publications of the FSO refer to the website, where detailed information about the FSO and its products can be found. All publications mention persons for contact, postal addresses, telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, e-mail addresses and other relevant information of interest. In addition, a special link (“Contacts”) on the Internet site provides contact details for the respective experts for the individual statistical fields, including contact persons for technical questions. Both at management and working levels, the FSO is represented regularly at national (e.g., Statistical Week) and international conferences. The results are frequently published by the organizers on the respective Internet websites and in print publications. The menu item entitled “Calendar of Events” on the FSO website provides the dates of trade fairs, events, and press conferences. The information offered on the Internet is supplemented by links to other relevant institutions involved and databases. There are links provided, for example, to the “Statistics Portal of the Statistical Office of the FSO and of the Länder,” the Statistical Advisory Committee and organizations such as Eurostat and the IMF. 1.3.1 Guidelines for staff behavior Federal Statistical Office The main principles of German official statistics are set out in the Federal Statistics Law, and the corporate vision and strategic objectives of the FSO (“fit 2012”). Ethical standards for staff behavior are part of the contracts of employees and the appointment of civil servants. New staff are informed of the general staff behavior, in particular rules on statistical confidentiality and on the acceptance of gifts and rewards. Soon after recruitment, new staff have to take a vow. Moreover, they have to attend comprehensive training courses after entry to the FSO, including the possibility of receiving advice by a mentor (senior employee or civil servant) for the first 18 months. All these arrangements ensure that new staff fully understand the professional culture of the FSO. The corporate vision and strategic objectives (and thus ethical standards) are available on the Intranet and have been distributed to all staff members of the FSO. Also, the ethical standards (including international) are explained during training courses. The corporate vision and the strategic goals have been given to every staff member, with the clear instruction that staff must implement them in their daily work. In internal training programs, it is explicitly pointed out to the staff that international standards and guidelines (UN Fundamental Principles, the IMF SDDS, the Code of Practice at European level) have to be followed. Moreover, clear directives for the specialized units have been discussed, adopted, and communicated by all heads of departments and are also distributed via the Intranet. If, for example, ministries attempt to exert influence after having been informed in advance about publications of the FSO, such requests would be rejected and communicated at once to the President of the FSO, so that the required measures could be taken. | |||||||||||
| Identification of internal government access to data before release | 1.2.2 Internal governmental access to statistics prior to release Federal Statistical Office See section 1.1.2 above regarding pre-embargo access arrangements.Merchandise trade Within the context of the defined pre-embargo access arrangements, statistics are made available to all users at the same time. In exceptional cases, ministries with specific subject-matter interests are provided with advance information at close of business on the day preceding publication. | |||||||||||
| Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases | 1.2.3 Attribution of statistical products Federal Statistical Office All products of the FSO can be clearly identified as such by the name and the logo of the FSO (in publications as well as on the website). Every publication and the website contain copyright information, for instance “Reproduction and free distribution, also of parts, for noncommercial purposes are permitted provided that the source is mentioned ...” In the case of press releases, the first paragraph names the source: “as reported by the Federal Statistical Office.” Press releases contain statements made by the FSO, with no policy interpretation. In addition, the FSO and the LSOs have a common logo and a common statistics portal. The joint publications of the statistical offices of both the FSO and the Länder offices are easily recognizable by the common logo. | |||||||||||
| Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology | 4.3.1 Revision schedule The preliminary results of foreign trade statistics are replaced by final results about 6-7 months after the end of the reference year. The individual monthly results are revised. The global final results are referred to in a press report.4.3.2 Identification of preliminary and/or revised data Preliminary and final data are published and labeled as such.1.2.4 Advance notice of major changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques. Federal Statistical Office Information on changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques are given to users in advance and when they are introduced. Explanation of new methods and changes in source data and statistical techniques are published on the website and in all relevant print publications. Special publications also make changes transparent. Major changes are also discussed with users in the subcommittees of the Statistical Advisory Committee.Merchandise trade When major methodological changes in foreign trade statistics are planned, these are communicated in detail in advance to the reporting enterprises and the clients. Generally, such information is provided by special documents or letters and published on our homepage explaining the envisaged changes. Reference is made to changes of methods within the framework of publications or press reports. Major changes are also discussed with users in the subcommittees of the Statistical Advisory Committee. | |||||||||||
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| Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics | 5.2.1 Dissemination of documentation on concepts, scope, classifications, basis of recording, data sources, and statistical techniques Methodological explanations are contained in the following publications and information booklets: "Zusammenfassende Übersichten für den Außenhandel" (Summary surveys of foreign trade), a monthly and yearly publication of "Fachserie 7, Reihe 1"; Working paper "Leitfaden über Methoden, Erhebung und Aufbereitung sowie Veröffentlichung der Außenhandelsstatistik / Manual on methodology, data collection and processing and publication of foreign trade statistics". In addition, information on methods appear regularly in the journal "Wirtschaft und Statistik" (Economics and Statistics). The working paper may be obtained without charge from the FSO: Fax: 49 611 75 3965, Phone 49 611 75 2993.5.2.2 Disseminated level of detail Individually tailored tables can be ordered (usually against a fee) from the information service of the foreign trade division by contacting: Phone: 49 611 752481,E-Mail: info-aussenhandel@destatis.de General-use information about the foreign trade data is available and made public on the website of the FSO www.destatis.de – Topics – Further Topics – Foreign Trade This website contains a short description of the German system of foreign trade statistics. (See also summary methodology) | |||||||||||
| Dissemination of component detail, reconciliations with related data, and statistical frameworks that support statistical cross-checks and provide assurance of reasonableness | 4.2.1 Internal consistency The data across different classifications is consistent. There exist correspondence tables between them. Some differences between the national concept and the EU concept can be observed. Especially in the preliminary data there are differences between the national data and the EU due to different revision cycles. In addition to that there are methodological differences as for the intercommunity trade the EU system uses the country of consignment concept, whereas the national system uses the country of origin concept. Comparing the German data with the mirror foreign trade data of its partner countries, one can observe so called asymmetries, which are due to a set of reasons. More information on asymmetries can be found here. 4.2.2 Temporal consistency Time series covering foreign trade go back up to the year 1950. However, these time series have different breaks in the consistency due to changes in the geo-nomenclature (new countries appear, other countries disappear), sub coverage due to the change in the collection system (e.g. introduction of Intrastat), methodological changes. The tables according to the Classification of Food and Industrial Products are consistent over a longer time period. 4.2.3 Intersectoral and cross-domain consistency The consistency (coherence) with other data collections is defined by the extent to which the different statistics can be used together. Information on foreign trade can also be found in the national accounts, in business statistics and the balance of payment, which to refer to each other. However the collection of the data and processing of these statistics follow different recommendations (sources and methods) of different international organizations, like Eurostat, the IMF, the OECD, the UNO, the WTO, etc.. The original foreign trade data used for the balance of payment statistics is the special trade, which comprises all physical cross border transactions of goods imported or exported to be used, consumed or processed. Warehousing (stock placement / stock removal) is not included. The special trade is collected with the so called statistical value (value free German border, which includes freight, insurance and other related charges up to the German border). That means that the exports are collected with fob values and imports with cif values. In contrast to that according to the rules of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the change of ownership is the collection criteria for the balance of payment statistics. That leads to the collection of the value at the border of the country of origin and therefore to the valuation of imports and exports with fob value. Furthermore, the movements of good associated with passive or active processing are not included in the trade balance but are recorded in the service balance (net position on services). Therefore series of corrections to the special trade are necessary (“Supplementary trade items”). The calculation of the foreign trade data according to the national accounts methods uses general trade data as the original foreign trade data. In contrast to the special trade, the general trade also includes imports of goods for storage and exports of goods from storage. For the use of the national accounts the movements of goods for and from storage by foreign entities is deducted. In addition to that, the imports are converted from cif into fob. | |||||||||||
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