Front Matter Page

© 2003 International Monetary Fund

August 2003

IMF Country Report No, 03/256

Ukraine: Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes—Data Module; Response by the Authorities; and Detailed Assessments Using the Data Quality Assessment Framework

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Data Module for Ukraine was prepared by a staff team of the International Monetary Fund as background documentation for the periodic consultation with the member country. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on August 5, 2003. The views expressed in this document are those of the staff team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the government of Ukraine or the Executive Board of the IMF.

The Response by the Authorities on this report and the Detailed Assessments Using the Data Quality Assessment Framework are also included.

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Front Matter Page

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

UKRAINE

Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC)—Data Module

Prepared by the Statistics Department

Approved by Carol S. Carson and John Odling-Smee

August 5, 2003

Contents

• Acronyms

• Executive Summary

• I. Introduction

• II. Data Dissemination Practices and the Special Data Dissemination Standard

  • Data dimension: coverage, periodicity, and timeliness

  • Access dimension

  • Integrity dimension

  • Quality dimension

• III. Summary Assessment of Data Quality

  • Prerequisites of quality

  • Integrity

  • Methodological soundness

  • Accuracy and reliability

  • Serviceability

  • Accessibility

• IV. Staff’s Recommendations

  • National Accounts

  • Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index

  • Government Finance Statistics

  • Monetary Statistics

  • Balance of Payments

• Text Box:

• 1. Ukraine—Dimensions and Elements of the Special Data Dissemination Standard

• Text Tables:

• 1. Ukraine—Data Dissemination Practices Compared to SDDS Requirements

• 2. Ukraine—DQAF: Summary Presentation of Results

Acronyms

Executive Summary

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC)—Data Module provides an assessment of Ukraine’s data dissemination practices against the IMF’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS), complemented by an in-depth assessment of the quality of data on national accounts, consumer and producer prices, government finance, monetary, and balance of payments statistics. The agencies that compile the statistics assessed in this report are the State Statistics Committee (SSCU), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the State Treasury of Ukraine (STU), and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). The assessment was carried out by a mission from the Statistics Department that visited Kyiv during April 3–17, 2002.

The mission reached the following main conclusions:

• Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) observance: Ukraine does not yet subscribe to the SDDS, but has been working closely with IMF staff toward subscription. Ukraine meets the SDDS requirements for the coverage of many data categories, meets or exceeds the periodicity for all categories, and meets the timeliness requirements for most data categories, but does not yet disseminate the Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity and the international investment position. Also, Ukraine has posted a National Summary Data Page and advance release calendar (ARC) on the Internet, but these do not yet meet SDDS requirements. ¹

• Prerequisites of quality: Ukraine’s statistical agencies have a legal and institutional framework that supports statistical quality. All statistical agencies demonstrate an awareness of quality in their work. Coordination among statistical agencies has a basis in law as well as through protocols or agreements among agencies on data sharing and the provision of source data to the compiling agency.

  Although both human and computer resources are adequate for the compilation of the present data series, additional resources will be needed in all agencies to implement development plans aimed at bringing data compilation and dissemination even closer to international standards. On the other hand, the SSCU continues to have excessive staff at the regional levels that could be more effectively employed at headquarters.

• Integrity: All agencies demonstrate professionalism, and staff are qualified for their work. The laws governing the compilation of statistics guarantee the professional independence of staff. Agencies promote ethical standards among staff through the Civil Service Code and the laws governing the compilation of the various statistical series.

  While agencies are mostly transparent in their data dissemination practices, information on internal government access to monetary data ahead of their public release and advance notice of major changes in the methodology of compilation of government finance statistics (GFS) are not readily available to the public.

• Methodological soundness: Ukraine’s national accounts, prices, monetary, government finance, and balance of payments statistics broadly follow international standards. While the national accounts are based on the System of National Accounts 1993 (1993 SNA) and the balance of payments are compiled according to Balance of Payments Manual 5th Edition (BPM5), GFS are based on the 1986 edition of A Manual on Government Finance Statistics (1986 GFS Manual) and monetary statistics on the 1984 Guide. However, plans are underway to migrate these data series to the 2001 GFS Manual and the 2000 Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual, respectively. Also, the full scope of coverage of the national accounts cannot be implemented owing to source data constraints, while the practice in domestic publications is that GFS exclude nonbudget pension and social security funds, which account for about one quarter of general government expenditure.

• Accuracy and Reliability: Ukraine’s statistics are reliable and accurate with source data undergoing extensive checks in most cases. While statistical techniques are generally sound, fourth quarter national accounts are compiled using source data for the entire year and national accounts estimates for the first three quarters. Moreover, while revision studies are regularly conducted, insufficient information on the procedures used to revise the data is provided to the public. The balance of payments is based primarily on an International Transactions Reporting System (ITRS) for resident banks supplemented by direct reporting of enterprises for transactions through nonresident banks. Checks on the accuracy of reporting of transactions could be enhanced by lowering the reporting threshold for banks to provide payment order information to the NBU.

• Serviceability: Overall, Ukraine’s statistics are timely and relevant and disseminated with a periodicity that meets or sometimes exceeds international standards (SDDS). Nevertheless, the lack of consistent coverage of budget transactions from year to year and the fact that volume measures of gross domestic product and its components are not disseminated in time series format—expressed in terms of a fixed reference period—have limited the usability of these data.² These issues also were emphasized in the users’ survey on Ukraine’s macroeconomic statistics conducted by IMF staff. Moreover, statistical agencies have not formally established procedures to regularly ascertain user needs.

• Accessibility: Although Ukraine is not yet an SDDS subscriber, the SSCU has posted ARCs on the Internet for all SDDS data categories, but the calendars do not yet meet SDDS requirements, as they are not regularly updated. Notwithstanding this, data and metadata are generally available in hard copy publications and most data series are disseminated in electronic form on the websites of the respective agencies. Contact persons in the various agencies are identified.

Front Matter Page

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

UKRAINE

Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC)—Data Module

Response by the Authorities

August 5, 2003

Contents

• I. Overview

• II. Response to Staff’s Recommendations

  • A. General Recommendations

  • B. National Accounts

  • C. Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index

  • D. Government Finance Statistics

  • E. Monetary Statistics

  • F. Balance of Payments

Front Matter Page

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

UKRAINE

Detailed Assessments Using the Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF)

Prepared by the Statistics Department

Approved by Carol S. Carson and John Odling-Smee

August 5, 2003

Contents

• Acronyms

• I. National Accounts Statistics

• II. Price Statistics (Consumer Price Index)

• III. Price Statistics (Producer Price Index)

• IV. Government Finance Statistics

• V. Monetary Statistics

• VI. Balance of Payments

• Text Tables:

• 1. DQAF: Summary of Results for National Account Statistics

• 2. DQAF: Summary of Results for Consumer Price Index

• 3. DQAF: Summary of Results for Producer Price Index

• 4. DQAF: Summary of Results for Government Finance Statistics

• 5. DQAF: Summary of Results for Monetary Statistics

• 6. DQAF: Summary of Results for Balance of Payments

• Appendices:

• I. Main Features of the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)

• II. Data Quality Assessment Framework—Generic Framework

• III. Users’ Survey

• Appendix Table:

• 7. Results of the Users’ Survey

Acronyms