According to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) 2007 Article IV Consultation report, the Netherlands produces a broad variety of statistical data, and achieves a general standard of high quality in its published macroeconomic data. The Netherlands has subscribed to the Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS) since June 1996, and meets SDDS specifications for the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of the data. The information on the SDDS website indicates that the Netherlands satisfies the conditions for access for all data categories and integrity, and quality for most data categories. Per the 2007 Article IV report, 2006 saw a number of institutional reforms that have had an impact on Netherlands statistics, particularly in the reclassification of private and public consumption as a result of healthcare insurance reforms.

General Overview

According to the Statistical Issues annex to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) 2007 Article IV Consultation report (Annex IV), the Netherlands produces a broad variety of statistical data, and achieves a general standard of high quality in its published macroeconomic data. Increasingly, it has made its statistical information available to the public online. 2006 saw a number of institutional reforms that have had an impact on Netherlands statistics, particularly in the reclassification of private and public consumption as a result of healthcare insurance reforms. The IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) website discloses that the Netherlands has subscribed to the SDDS since June 1996 and meets or exceeds all requirements for timeliness, periodicity, and coverage for all required datasets. Data for national accounts, central government operations, and financial and external sector data were last updated in 2007, and general government operations and population data were last updated in 2006. The Netherlands publishes advance-release calendars for all applicable datasets. National accounts data are published on an annual and quarterly basis by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, or CBS), whereas De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), which is the Dutch central bank, reports on financial and balance of payments data. The Ministry of Finance (Ministerie van Financien, or MoF) provides fiscal data reports.

The CBS achieved autonomy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in January of 2004. However, the ministry has retained the responsibility for creating (via legislation) and maintaining high quality, reliable statistics, particularly with regard to budgetary data. According to the CBS website, the costs associated with enacting such legislation "are accountable to the government's budget." In the words of the Statistics Netherlands Act of 2003, "the task of the CBS is to carry out statistical research for the government for practice, policy, and research purposes and to publish the statistics compiled on the basis of such research." The Act establishes the Central Commission for Statistics (CCS) to manage the activities of the CBS and to foster accuracy and completeness in all statistics produced for government publication. The CBS website discloses a wide range of publications available to the public online, as well as the text of daily press releases dealing with statistics-related issues and data.

The Principles

Comprehensive economic and financial data, disseminated on a timely basis.

FC

The IMF's SDDS website discloses that the Netherlands meets or exceeds all requirements for coverage, periodicity, and timeliness for all requisite datasets. It does not avail itself of any flexibility options. According to the Statistical Issues annex to the IMF's 2007 Article IV Consultation report (Annex IV), the Netherlands produces a broad variety of statistical data, and achieves a general standard of high quality in its published macroeconomic data.

Ready and equal access to official statistics.

FC

The IMF's SDDS website discloses that the Netherlands fulfills the requirements for the access criteria and advance release calendars are available for all relevant datasets. According to the IMF's SDDS website, data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by means of a CBS-issued press release. At the time of the press release, individual subscribers are also sent data via email. All such press releases are then posted on the CBS website.

Official statistics must have the confidence of their users. Transparency of its practices and procedures is a key factor.

CP

The dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced are clearly stated on the IMF's SDDS website, however, there is no information for certain data categories on the terms and conditions of confidentiality of individually identifiable information. According to the IMF's SDDS website, there is clear identification as to whether data is accompanied by ministerial commentary for most data categories except for General Government Operations and Central Government Debt, for which there in no information. Also information on the SDDS website indicates that changes in methodology for certain categories are not preceded by an advance notice.

A set of standards that deals with the coverage, periodicity and timeliness of data must also address the quality of statistics.

CP

According to the Statistical Issues annex to the IMF's 2007 Article IV Consultation report, the Netherlands produces a broad variety of statistical data, and achieves a general standard of high quality in its published macroeconomic data. The IMF's SDDS website discloses that summary methodologies are available for all relevant datasets. Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics are provided for all data categories and dissemination of component detail and reconciliation with related data are also available for all data except for Production Index, for which there is no information.