INTRODUCTION

Users of trade statistics often face mutually inconsistent numbers published by different official organisations. Such inconsistencies may arise from the use of different sources, conversion rates, or different production and revision schedules, etc. Coverage can also contribute to differences and as methodological information is not always readily available it is often difficult for users to select the appropriate figures.

The Task Force has initiated the Common Data Set (CDS) project to provide users with the best available data. Under the co-ordination of WTO, Eurostat, OECD, UNCTAD, and UNSD have agreed to co-operate in reconciling their statistics on total merchandise trade values by aligning them, to the extent possible, to the international standards set forth in the UN International Merchandise Trade Statistics: concepts and definitions, Rev.2 (IMTS).

MAIN FEATURES

The CDS is organised in two datasets: officially reported data are actual values supplied by Data Providing Agencies according to the agreed distribution of responsibilities. These are sourced from national authorities indicated in the time series notes, which are not necessarily the organisations in charge of producing official merchandise trade statistics. Reconciled data result from consultation among agencies, after reviewing available data sources in view of international concepts and definitions on merchandise trade statistics.

Data gaps and information on the reconciliation are documented in the time series notes (reconciliation heading).

DATA PROVIDING AGENCIES

Each agency is providing statistics for its assigned economies as specified in the time series notes. Eurostat supplies data for the European Union and its member States (including the ten new members as of 1999). OECD is the data providing organisation for the other OECD countries, and for Czech Republic; Hungary; Poland and Slovak Republic data prior to 1999. UNCTAD is the data providing organisation for the least-developed countries. The responsibility for providing data for the remaining economies is shared between UNSD and WTO.

SOURCE OF THE BASIC DATA

Statistics provided by Eurostat and the OECD are collected directly from their respective member States. UNSD also collects merchandise trade statistics. However, pursuant to an agreement with IMF for exchanging data on the economies' total trade figures to avoid duplication of work, UNSD sources most of its series from the International Financial Statistics (IFS) publication.

UNCTAD and WTO do not collect statistics directly but retrieve data from a range of sources.

In the case of series retrieved from the IFS publication by UNSD, UNCTAD and WTO, the “source” metadata refer to the information published in the IFS country notes.
 

METHODOLOGY USED TO CONVERT DATA IN NATIONAL CURRENCIES TO US DOLLAR

OECD and UNSD

Trade conversion rates (source UNSD) are used to convert data from national currencies into United States dollars. These rates are calculated by UNSD by weighting monthly exchange rates with the corresponding monthly trade values, separately for imports and exports. Because of these trade specific calculations, conversion rates of the euro are different from one EU member state to another.

Eurostat

The data expressed in US dollar are obtained applying the average annual exchange rate from ECU/Euro and national currencies to US dollar.

WTO

IMF, International Financial Statistics: period average exchange rate (rf)
Taipei, Chinese : Central Bank of China, Financial Statistics: period average exchange rate (rf).

TIMETABLE

Production schedule of participating agencies

Agency	Month in which annual data of preceding year becomes available		Revisions
	including estimates	actual data
Eurostat	March	May	September
OECD		July	September, November, February
UNCTAD	May		September
UNSD	March/early April		July, October, January
WTO	March		June