Commission Report 2002 (Hungary)

• Progress since the last Regular Report
• Overall assessment
• Conclusion

Chapter 12: Statistics

Progress since the last Regular Report

Hungary has continued to make further progress in the reporting period. As regards statistical infrastructure, there were no recent changes.

No particular developments can be reported either concerning national classifications, which are implementing European economic classifications and nomenclatures and were already put in place.

No recent changes have been made in the area of demographic and social statistics, which are already well developed and compliant with EC standards.

As regards statistics at regional level, no further progress can be noted, since a large amount of regional statistics has been made available. Fine-tuning concentrated, in the reporting period, on the delivery of the full set of variables of the regional accounts.

As to macro-economic statistics, financial accounts, Government finance statistics and especially public deficit and debt statistics started to be developed.

In the sector of business statistics a series of actions was undertaken for further streamlining. Continuous work was also undertaken on the Business Register.

As regards transport statistics, new surveys for international road freight transport have been introduced.

As for external trade, the introduction of INTRASTAT, which will measure the trade between the Member States, was identified as a top-priority. A detailed implementation plan was set up for its introduction.

As regards agricultural statistics, no further progress could be noted in this sector, since alignment with the acquis has been largely completed.

Overall assessment

Statistical infrastructure and legal and organisational elements are in place including the required human resources.

In the area of national classifications, the focus should now be on continuous updating according to the development of European standards.

Demographic and social statistics are well developed, as is illustrated by the successful implementation of the Population Census of 2001, which now provides data at all relevant regional levels. The Labour Force Survey is well designed and close to full harmonisation. Concerning health, safety and consumer protection statistics, further methodological development is under way. The Survey on income and living conditions is under preparation by adding the necessary questions to the current Household Budget Survey.

The overall level of compliance in macro-economic statistics is good. Business statistics are also largely compliant. The degree of compliance of short-term statistics is equally high.

Transport statistics are well developed and statistics on external trade with third countries are well established.

Concerning agricultural statistics, they are produced in co-operation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Central Statistical Office. Important statistics like the Farm Structure Survey, Crop Production and Livestock are completely harmonised.

Priorities of the coming years are preparation for the INTRASTAT system and the further development of macro-economic statistics, in particular financial accounts, debt and deficit statistics and coverage of national accounts. In agriculture, Hungary`s further efforts should focus on agro-monetary statistics and on animal product statistics. In transport statistics, the survey on carriage of dangerous goods needs to be implemented in 2003. The continuous improvement of co-ordination and strategic planning within the statistical system is also an important issue that needs to be addressed. The HCSO (Hungarian Central Statistical Office) should strengthen its role in the Statistical Council, an advisory body to the office, and should generally sharpen its profile as the co-ordinator of the Hungarian Statistical System.

Conclusion

In its 1997 Opinion, the Commission concluded that, provided that continuing progress was made, Hungary should have been able to comply with EU requirements for official statistics within the following few years.

Since the Opinion, Hungary has made very good progress, in particular in developing the necessary administrative capacity. Hungary`s legislation is now largely in line with the acquis in most statistical fields.

Negotiations on this chapter have been provisionally closed. Hungary has not requested any transitional arrangements in this field. Hungary is generally meeting the commitments it has made in the accession negotiations in this area.

In order to complete preparations for membership, Hungary`s efforts now need to focus on the further development of macro-economic statistics, on the preparation for INTRASTAT and on the implementation of agriculture and transport statistics.

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