Distribution of statistical results under embargo

Distribution of statistical results under embargo

In accordance with the European Statistics Code of Practice, all users have access to the same statistical information at the same time, and any privileged pre-release access to any outside user must be limited, controlled and made public.

In this sense, a few hours before its official publication, the statistics of the INE is transmitted, under embargo, to the appointed body, the Secretariat of State for Economic Affairs and Business Support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, for the purpose of providing sufficient time for their responsible parties to prepare answers to any possible questions that journalists might ask them.

Likewise, by virtue of the signing of the Multilateral Working Agreement for the development of cooperation in statistical matters between the INE and the Central Statistical Bodies of the Autonomous Communities (OCECA), sixteen OCECA receive information under embargo, both regarding their territory (at autonomous and provincial scales) and the national total (at national scale), for the purpose of preparing and publishing, in a synchronised manner with the INE, press releases regarding their respective territorial scopes. The OCECAs, like the INE, are governed by laws and regulations that guarantee statistical confidentiality.

On the other hand, ten press releases of short-term statistics are sent to a small number of news agencies 30 minutes before the official dissemination time. The statistics in question are the following: Quarterly National Accounts (QNA), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Advance, Consumer Price Index (CPI) Advance, Economically Active Population Survey (EPA), Mortgage Statistics, Property Rights Transfer Statistics (ETDP), Industrial Production Index (IPI), Industrial Price Index (IPRI) and Housing Price Index (HPI).

In this case there are controls in place to detect, if any, non-compliance with embargoes, with consequent penalty measures, all in order to preserve the principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice.