Publication of the methodological manual on money, banking and financial market statistics in the accession countries

The European Central Bank (ECB) has today published the Methodological Manual on Money, Banking and Financial Market Statistics in the Accession Countries ("the Manual").

The Manual assesses the current statistical framework and the legal and institutional background for the collection and compilation of money, banking and financial market statistics in the accession countries, namely:

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Volume I of the Manual focuses on the growing compliance of the statistics with ECB statistical standards. It describes a process which contributes to the conceptual and practical harmonisation work necessary to prepare these countries for membership of the European Union and eventually the euro area.

Volume II of the Manual describes the methods used by the accession countries to compile statistics on non-monetary financial institutions, financial market and securities issues, financial derivatives and MFI interest rates. It provides a good understanding of the full set of statistics drawn up in the accession countries.

This publication is available on the ECB's website (http://www.ecb.europa.eu).

Hard copies may be ordered from the ECB.