Rules for dissemination of INSEE statistical indicators under embargo and restrictions on privileged access
In accordance with the principle of Impartiality and Objectivity set out in the European Statistics Code of Practice, the French Official Statistical Service (Service statistique public, or SSP) is commited to pre-announcing the date and time of release of the most important statistics and to providing access to releases of key statistical indicators to all users at the same time and under the same conditions. Any privileged pre-release access granted to any outside user is limited, controlled and publicised. Such access is a mater of tolerance rather than a norm.
At the end of each month (on the 25th), the four-month release schedule announces the date and time of release when statistical indicators are published online. The dates for the first month are firm, while the dates of the other three months are subject to change. Changes are reported in the programme circulated the following month.
The rules governing dissemination concern key statistical indicators used for the economic, social or environmental analysis of a sector of activity and for decision-making and/or that are of interest to political decision-makers and the media; they must be the subject of an initial release. These rules do not apply to studies or summary reports.
In this context, privileged pre-release access to statistical indicators may be granted in a limited way, provided that such access is conducive to effective democratic outcomes. Therefore, users who may be granted access to statistical information before it is publicised only include:
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political decision-makers to enable them to prepare the wording of their announcements; specifically, this
means the office of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance;
statistical indicators cannot be transmitted in advance to other government departments; - news agency journalists to enable them to prepare their press releases and report on information in the most reliable manner possible.
Beneficiaries of preferential status are required to conform to a strict embargo: they must not disseminate the information before it has been made public. If the embargo is breached, it is lifted promptly to restore equal access to information.
The Main Economic Indicators (PIE) produced by INSEE are published at 08:45 am. They may be released by INSEE:
- to the office of the Minister of the Economy and Finance at 6 pm at the earliest on the day before their publication;
- to news agencies on the publication date, no earlier than 30 minutes before online publication;
- to broadcast, print and online media outlets and to all other users at the time of release on the publication date.
Four of these indicators, deemed “sensitive”, are published at 7:30 am and released by INSEE:
- to the office of the Minister of the Economy and Finance at 9 pm at the earliest on the day before their publication;
- to news agencies on the publication date, no earlier than 30 minutes before online publication;
- to broadcast, print and online media outlets and to all other users at the time of release on the publication date.
With the exception of the main economic indicators produced by INSEE, the statistical indicators subject to this rule (i.e. the main social and environmental indicators and INSEE’s non-major economic indicators) are published at 12 pm at the latest and may be transmitted:
- to the office of the Minister of the Economy and Finance at 6 pm at the earliest on the day before their publication;
- to news agencies on the publication date, no earlier than 30 minutes before online publication;
- to broadcast, print and online media outlets and to all other users at the time of release on the publication date.
If the embargo is breached, it is lifted promptly to restore equal access to information.