The Integrated Short-Term Statistical Surveys: Experience Of Nbs In Moldova

The users’ rising need for relevant, reliable, coherent, timely data for the early diagnosis of the economic vulnerability and of the turning points in the business cycles, especially during a financial and economic crisis, asks for a prompt answer, coordinated by statistical institutions. High quality short term statistics are of special interest for the emerging market economies, such as the Moldavian one, being extremely vulnerable when facing economic recession. Answering to the challenges of producing a coherent and adequate image of the economic activity, by using the system of indicators and definitions efficiently applied at the level of the European Union, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of the Republic of Moldova has launched the development process of an integrated system of short term statistics (STS) based on the advanced international experience. Thus, in 2011, BNS implemented the integrated statistical survey on STS based on consistent concepts, harmonized with the EU standards. The integration of the production processes, which were previously separated, is based on a common technical infrastructure, standardized procedures and techniques for data production. The achievement of this complex survey with holistic approach has allowed the consolidation of the statistical data quality, comparable at European level and the signifi cant reduction of information burden on business units, especially of small size. The reformation of STS based on the integrated survey has been possible thanks to the consistent methodological and practical support given to NBS by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) of Romania, for which we would like to thank to our Romanian colleagues.