Relevance
International
trade in goods statistics are an important data source for many public and
private sector decision-makers. Data
record the monthly trade in terms of arrivals and dispatches of goods as well
as the monthly trade in terms of imports and exports. The statistical information is mainly
provided by the traders on the basis of Customs (extra-EU) and Intrastat
(intra-EU) declarations. Extra-EU trade
statistics cover the trading of goods between member states and non-member
countries. Intra-EU trade statistics
cover the trading of goods between member states. "Goods" means all movable property
including electricity. Imports/Arrivals
are valued on cost, insurance and freight (c.i.f.) basis. Total exports/Dispatches are valued on a free
on board (f.o.b.) basis. Imported and
exported goods are classified according to the Combined Nomenclature (CN) used
for the purposes of external trade statistics, and based on the Harmonised
System.
Statistics
relating to the trading of goods between member states and non-member countries
(extra-EU) are based on Regulation (EC) No. 471/2009 of the European
Parliament and of the Council, Commission Regulation (EC) No. 92/2010 and
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 113/2010.
Statistics relating to the trading of goods between member states (intra-EU)
are based on Regulation (EC) No. 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the
Council, and Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1982/2004.
Methodological
description
The
source of international trade data covering non-EU countries is the Customs
Administration, which provides an electronic extract of customs declarations
data to the NSO. The current system is
the Customs Electronic System (CES) covering both Imports and Exports, and has
been in use since May 2004. Both
importers and exporters are obliged by Council
Regulation (EEC) No. 2913/92 to report all their transactions
with non-EU countries. This is done by an electronic data transmission system.
The
Supplementary Declaration System (Intrastat) is used to collect trade data
covering transactions between EU member states.
Arrivals cover goods that are produced in the EU, or which are in free
circulation with respect to EU Customs Law, that are received in Malta. Dispatches record the same designated
community goods that are sent to other member states.
Traders
who annually exceed the exemption threshold of €700 are to submit their monthly
declarations within 10 working days after the end of the reference month. Data providers can submit their information
electronically through a web-based form, or in hard copy format to the relative
Supplementary Information Collection Offices.
Accuracy and
reliability of data
Validations
at data source are carried out by the Customs Electronic System (CES) and
Intrastat System on the most important data elements that are required. These include the verification and validation
of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) for Intra-EU trade data and the Taric code
for Extra-EU data, the country information, and the value. Taric codes include the goods nomenclature and
additional codes.
Additionally
to this, NSO staff review and analyze the plausibility of the data by checking
the statistical value and weight of each commodity. All records are checked for correctness with
various IT tools and statistical concepts. Other validations at entry point include checks
on statistical and invoice value, period covered, nature of transaction, mode
of transport, terms of delivery, and additional requirements of the CN code in
terms of net mass and supplementary quantity.
Timeliness and
punctuality of data
The ‘International Trade’ news
release is published on a monthly basis, within two months following the
reference month. These are published on
the NSO’s website on the pre-established
date, as scheduled in the Advance Release Calendar.
Extra
and intra-EU aggregated
statistics are provided to Eurostat within 40 days after the
reference month. For extra-EU detailed statistics
the transmission deadlines are 40 days after the reference month and for
intra-EU detailed statistics 70
calendar days after the reference month.
Accessibility and
clarity of data
An
annual quality report is also transmitted to Eurostat within a fixed deadline
after the reference year. A metadata
report is also produced at a national level and disseminated on NSO’s metadata
website.
Coherence and
comparability / consistency of data
Trade
statistics are not compiled on the balance sheet principle. Consequently, when exports from country A to
country B are compared with imports to country B from country A, these figures
may not match due to the adoption of different trade systems in use, and
methodological aspects. Joint analysis
on asymmetry between the involved member states is necessary for reaching an
agreement on asymmetry causes and the corrections/adjustments to be carried
out. This exercise is referred to as a
‘reconciliation exercise’.
Changes
due to definitions, coverage or methods and other changes have an impact on the
continuity of international trade series.
In particular the accession of new member states to the EU may cause
problems to the comparability over time since it implies for the acceding
country a change from an administrative data source (Extrastat) to a purely
statistical data collection system (Intrastat).
This may have an impact on the accuracy of statistics at a detailed
level. Time series of trade data on a
consistent basis for most aggregates are available electronically as from 1995. Data for earlier periods are available on
paper publications.
Apart from the
international trade statistics, information on trade flows can be found in
National Accounts, Business Statistics and Balance of Payments. The latter are compiled according to
respective recommendations, through the use of different concepts and
definitions, statistical units, and classifications.
Metadata