| Activity type | Onsite training |
| Title | Training course on the development of SITS and FATS |
| Participants | Head of the trade statistics department accompanied by a senior staff member of the trade statistics unit or the statistics unit at the central bank |
| Location | Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Timing | 10-13 February 2020 |
| Activity code | C2.5_09 |
Statistics on international trade allow the measurement the integration of partner countries into the global economy, their competitiveness and their ability to take advantage of market opportunities granted by international trade agreements in general, and by trade agreements with the EU in particular. The inception phase of the STEP programme showed that partner countries’ statistics on international trade in services and foreign affiliates’ statistics witness important shortcomings and limitations that do not allow a comprehensive, detailed and accurate measurement of international services transactions, whereas these transactions represent a very dynamic component of international trade in general.
In this context, it was agreed to implement the STEP C2.5 project on “International trade statistics: SITS and FATS” with the objective to align the statistics of international trade in services, including inward FATS, of the partner countries with the recommendations of Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010 (MSITS 2010).
This training course was the first activity to be implemented in the context of this project and was crucial as it had to lay the ground for the implementation of the activities that will follow. In this context, the general objective of this training course was to ensure knowledge and appropriation of the major features of the MSITS 2010 within the partner countries’ national statistical institutes and central banks; to take stock of the situation and difficulties faced in the partner countries with regard to the production and availability of SITS and FATS; and to elaborate national roadmaps for the development of SITS and inward FATS aligned with international and EU standards.
The training course gathered participants from not only the national statistical institutes but also the central banks of most partner countries. It proved to be very useful in the identification and discussion of detailed issues and problems faced by the partner countries in the production of their SITS and FATS, of possible solutions and of priorities in the development of SITS and FATS aligned with EU and international standards.
