Eurostat’s tools
to support
National Accounts
Clementina Ivan-Ungureanu
Training: Essential SNA: Buiding the basics
Adis Abeba, 12-16 February 2012
The Beginnings:
Luxembourg
Recommendations, ISWGNA
• May 2008: Eurostat organised in conjunction with
the Statistical Division of the UN, a high-level
conference on national accounts in the context of
development cooperation which concluded by
endorsing the “Luxembourg Recommendations”
(LR).
• LR were then passed on to the Inter-secretariat
Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA)
which in 2009 formulated an Action Plan for
implementation of SNA2008 which included
improving national statistical systems.
• One way to achieve such improvements is by
providing support focused on the collection and
processing of basic source data
Meeting the needs of SIDS
and LCDs
• At the end of 2007, only 10 per cent of small
island developing states (SIDS) and least
developed countries (LDCs) were able to provide
the seven tables of the minimum requirement
data set (MRDS) defined in the report of the
ISWGNA to the thirty second session of the
Statistical Commission1.
• Further study undertaken by ISWGNA highlighted
the need to strengthen the statistical production
process that precedes the integration of the data
into national accounts, namely in the collection and
processing of basic source data and the
institutional context, the so-called Pre-SNA Phase.
•
Eurostat activities to
implement the ISWGNA
In line with the principles
ISWGNA task of preparing
manuals and handbooks Eurostat prepared the
Handbook “Essential SNA: building the
basics” which focuses on the pre-SNA phase
and which became available by the end of 2010.
• Is fully compatible with Volumes I and II of SNA
2008.
• The handbook includes best practices for
analysis of basic data to ease the start-up
phase of NSOs facing the challenge of producing
NA data in accordance with SNA for the first time
Essential SNA: Building the
Basics Objective and Target
audience
Objective of the Handbook is to support the
implementation of the 2008 SNA in Africa,
Caribbean and Pacific, Asia and Latin
America and other countries.
• Especially relevant for:
–
–
–
–
-
Least Developed Countries,
Micro-states
“Milestone 0”
“First timers”
Improvements
Essential SNA: Building
the Basics Key principles
in the handbook
• Compliance with SNA 2008
“Essential SNA: building the basics” is a
handbook prepared in fully compliance with
SNA 2008
• Orientation to countries’ needs
• The handbook has been tested with target
countries
Key issues for
implementing the 2008
SNA presented in the
Handbook
• Institutional issues, e.g. need to create legal
framework for implementing national
accounts, strategy for developing the
statistical system
• Building blocks of statistical infrastructure,
e.g. business register and classifications
• Technical issues related to statistical and
administrative data sources required for
compiling national accounts
• Specific issues, such as the informal sector
Essential SNA: Building
the Basics
• Main features:
– Clear, simple, non-bureaucratic language
– Practical examples from countries
– Practical proposal for some estimations
problems
– Several boxes (“The chapter in brief”, “To
know more”),
– Recommended readings
Essential SNA: Building
the Basics
• Main reference framework is provided by
the Minimum Requirement Data Set
(MRDS), developed by the ISWGNA.
• This is the set of required, recommended
and desirable data on national accounts that
should be provided by countries intending to
implement the SNA for the first time.
Essential SNA: Building
the Basics- Structure
•
•
•
I.
II.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
National accounts and the economy
–
–
–
–
–
•
What is the System of National Accounts
The SNA and the economy
To which needs responds the SNA
Towards 2008 SNA
Recommended reading
III. Building the SNA
–
–
Statistical system development
The 2008 SNA implementation
-
Recommended reading
Essential SNA: Building the
Basics- Structure
IV. Basic concepts
Basic concepts
Main aggregates
– Recommended reading
– V. Statistical infrastructure for national accounts
• Basis:
– Business register
– Classifications
– Statistical data sources
– Administrative data sources
– Recommended reading
VI. Informal sector
– The Non-Observed Economy
– The informal sector
– Concluding remarks
• Recommended reading
New project
• Essential System of National
Accounts (SNA): methodological
support and tools in the context of
cooperation
March 2011-March 2012
The way forward: ongoing
Eurostat activities related to
the
Handbook
• Focuses on methodological support and tools in the context of
cooperation.
• Activities for 2011 – 2013:
 Update the handbook “Essential SNA: building the basics”
based on the users feedback;
 Create a forum for users;
 Spread its usability : (by preparing French and Spanish
versions, a wiki version and an E-Learning module).
 Give support to users of the handbook (including
methodological helpdesk support to users and including the
publication of methodological papers).
 Internationally promote and encourage the knowledge
transfer of the handbook
Online Forum on the
Handbook
• User feedback related to the Handbook:
– Questions;
– Debates on a specific topic: gender issues
for informal sector, infrastructure, NOE, the
2008 SNA implementation
– Suggestions for improvement related to the
handbook.
Online methodological
papers
Posting of methodological papers (1 per month for
3 years, on topics related to the handbook):
1. Main New SNA 2008 recommendations with
impact on the level of GDP
2. The Statistical Business Register from the
National Accounts Perspective
3. ISIC4 and its application rules, including the
example of outsourcing
Online methodological
papers
4. Introduction to the SNA 2008 Accounts, part
1: Basics
5. Introduction to the SNA 2008 Accounts, part
2: current Accounts
6.Introduction to the SNA 2008 Accounts, part
3: Accumulation accounts
7.National Accounts in Constant Prices, part 1:
Elementary Indexes
8.National accounts in constant prices, part2:
aggregated indexes
Online methodological
papers
9.Annual GDP by production approach in
current and constant prices: main issues
10.Agriculture in national accounts: value added
in current and constant prices
11.Industry and Construction in National
Accounts: Value added in current and
constant prices
12. Services in National Accounts: Value added
in current and constant prices (soon)
E-Learning Tool
• More interactive and available online.
• Foreseen contents:
– User friendly interface allowing the trainee
to go through the training;
– Real case examples of best practices for
analysis of data to supplement the training
activity;
– A set of exercises and their solutions;
– An interactive glossary
Access
• Registration on CIRCA
http://circa.europa.eu
Contact Ms. Susana Martines- Eurostat
E-mail : susana.martins@ec.europa.eu