PURPOSE : to ensure that the compilation of the index includes seasonal and working-day adjustment, and to establish predetermined transmission formats.
COMMUNITY MEASURE : Commission Regulation 1216/2003/EC implementing Regulation 450/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the labour cost index.
CONTENT : Seasonal and working-day adjustment of the labour cost index is an essential part of the compilation of the index. Adjusted series make it possible to compare results and to interpret the index in a comprehensible manner. This directive provides that the index series must be delivered in the following forms:
- unadjusted;
- working-day adjusted;
- seasonally and working-day adjusted.
In addition, predetermined transmission formats minimise the problems arising from the data transmission and, together with standardised quality reports, improve the interpretation and fast usage of the labour cost index. Therefore, the Member States must send the transmitted indices and metadata in electronic form to the Commission (Eurostat). Transmission must conform to appropriate interchange standards approved by the Statistical Programme Committee. Eurostat will make available detailed documentation in relation to approved standards and supply guidelines on how to implement these standards.
The Regulation also sets out the quality criteria and provides that the content of the annual quality reports for the labour cost index will be as set out in Annex I to this Regulation.
Finally, the Regulation states that the Laspeyres chain index formula to be used for calculating the labour cost index for combinations of NACE Rev. 1 sections referred to in the Annex to Regulation 450/2003/EC is set out in Annex IV to this Regulation.
RNTRY INTO FORCE : 28/07/03.�