REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2015-07-30
Institutions: European Commission, Eurostat
Subjects: EU statistics, EU visa policy, data collection, disclosure of information, emigration, immigration, migratory movement, residence permit, right of asylum

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 30.7.2015  
COM(2015) 374 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on 
migration and international protection 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  main  objective  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  11  July  2007  on  Community  statistics  on  migration  and  international  protection1 
(hereinafter  also  referred  to  as  'the  Regulation')  is  the  collection  and  compilation  of  European 
statistics on migration and international protection.  

This  report  follows  the  first  one  adopted  by  the  Commission  in  September  20122    pursuant  to 
Article 12 of the Regulation (EC) No 862/2007.  

In particular, its Article 12 states that 'By 20 August 2012 and every three years thereafter, the 
Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the statistics 
compiled pursuant to this Regulation and on their quality.'  

This  report  documents  the  degree  of  progress  that  has  been  made  by  Member  States,  together 
with the Commission (Eurostat), in the implementation of the Regulation since the first report.  

2. 

STATISTICS COVERED BY THE REGULATION  

Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007  concerns  the  compilation  of  European  statistics  related  to 
migration and international protection (asylum). The principle areas of statistics governed by the 
Regulation are: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

International migration flows disaggregated by group of citizenship, group of country of 
birth, group of country of previous/next residence and by age and sex; population stocks 
disaggregated by group of citizenship and group of country of birth and by age and sex, 
acquisition of citizenship by country of previous citizenship (Article 3);  

Asylum applications, decisions at first instance and on appeal granting or withdrawing 
different forms of international protection status, asylum applications by unaccompanied 
minors, disaggregated by citizenship; and statistics on the application of the Dublin III 
Regulation3 by  Member States (Article 4); 

Third country nationals refused entry to the Member State at the external border, third 
country  nationals  found  to  be  illegally  present  under  national  immigration  legislation, 
disaggregated by citizenship (Article 5); 

Residence permits issued to third country nationals, disaggregated by citizenship, length 
of permit validity and by the reason (immigration category) for the permit being issued 
(Article 6); 

Third-country  nationals  subject  to  an  order  to  leave  the  territory  of  the  Member  State 
under immigration legislation, and third-country nationals recorded as departing after the 
issue of such an order, disaggregated by citizenship (Article 7).  

1 OJ L 199, 31.7.2007, p. 23. 
2 COM (2012) 528 final.  
3 OJ L 180, 29.6.2013, p. 31. 

2 

 
 
                                                            
As part of the implementation process, the Commission has continued to develop and maintain 
close cooperation with the different national authorities involved in the production and supply of 
data  for  the  Regulation.  The  statistics  on  migration  flows  and  population  stocks  are  generally 
supplied  to  the  Commission  (Eurostat)  by  the  National  Statistical  Institutes  (NSI).  Statistics  on 
residence  permits  and  asylum  are  usually  supplied  directly  by  Ministries  of  Interior  or 
immigration services. Statistics on border controls and the removal of unauthorised migrants may 
also be provided by Ministries of Interior or immigration services, or by police authorities.  

The main characteristics of these statistics are provided in Table 1 below. 

Table 1: Main characteristics of statistics provided under Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 

Article 3 

Migration 
flows, 
population 
stocks, 
acquisition of 
citizenship 

36 countries (32 
EU/EFTA 
countries) 

Article 4 

Asylum 

Articles 5 and 
7 

Enforcement 
of immigration 
legislation 

Article 6 

Residence 
permits 

32 EU/EFTA countries 

32 EU/EFTA 
countries 

32 EU/EFTA 
countries 

2008 

2008 

2008 

2008 

Geographical 
coverage 

First year of 
data 
collection 

Frequency 

Annual 

Monthly/quarterly/annual

Annual 

Annual 

Deadline for 
data 
transmission 

12 months after 
the end of the 
reference year 

2 months after 
reference period (RP) for 
monthly/quarterly data 

3 months after RP for 
annual data 

Data 
providers 

National 
Statistical 
Institutes 

Ministries of Interior (or 
related Immigration 
Agencies) 

3 months after 
the end of the 
reference year 

6 months after 
the end of the 
reference year 

Ministries of 
Interior, 
Immigration 
Agencies or 
Border Police. 

Ministries of 
Interior (or 
related 
Immigration 
Agencies) 

3. 

OTHER RELEVANT LEGISLATION 

Since 2012, two new legal acts in the area of demographic statistics have come into force.  They 
are  relevant  for  the  compilation  of  statistics  on  international  migration  flows  and  population 
stocks disaggregated by group of citizenship and group of country of birth under Article 3 of the 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007,  in  particular  concerning  the  consistency  of  the  sets  of  statistics 
requested: 

1.  Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 of the European Parliament and Council of 20 November 

2013 on European demographic statistics4; 

2.  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014 of 4 March 2014 laying down 
uniformed  conditions  for  the  implementation  of  Regulation  (EU)  No  1260/2013  of  the 
European  Parliament  and  Council  of  20  November  2013  on  European  demographic 
statistics, as regards breakdowns of data, deadlines and data revisions5. 

In addition, other new legislative acts in the area of legal migration entered into force. These acts 
are  relevant  for  the  compilation  of  statistics  on  residence  permits  under  Article  6  of  the 
Regulation and were (or will be in the near future) integrated into this data collection: 

1.  Council  Directive  2009/50/EC  on  the  conditions  of  entry  and  residence  of  third-country 
nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment6 (collection of data started in 
2013 with reference year 2012); 

2.  Directive  2011/98/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  a  single 
application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in 
the territory of a Member State and on a common set of right for third-country workers 
legally residing in a member State7 (collection of data started in 2014 with reference year 
2013); 

3.  Directive 2014/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conditions of 
entry  and  stay  of  third-country  nationals  for  the  purpose  of  employment  as  seasonal 
workers8 (collection of data will start in 2018 with reference year 2017); 

4.  Directive 2014/66/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conditions of 
entry  and  residence  of  third-country  nationals  in  the  framework  of  an  intra-corporate 
transfer9 (collection of data will start in 2018 with reference year 2017). 

With  the  accession  of  Croatia  in  July  2013,  Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007  has  become 
compulsory for the new Member State and implicitly all references to the aggregates requested 
have become EU28. 

Statistics provided in the framework of the above recent legal acts, given the different legal basis, 
are not included in the quality evaluation below and will be subject of specific evaluation reports 
as required in these particular legal acts. 

4 OJ L 330, 10.12.2013, p. 39. 
5 OJ L 65, 5.3.2014, p. 10. 
6 OJ L 155, 18.6.2009, p. 17. 
7 OJ L 343, 23.12.2011, p. 1. 
8 OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 375. 
9 OJ L 157, 27.5.2014, p. 1. 

4 

 
 
                                                            
4. 

GENERAL PROGRESS SINCE THE 2012 REPORT  

Since the 2012 report the data availability and completeness has significantly ameliorated in all 
data collections.  General  data  quality  improvements have been observed leading to  better data 
accuracy,  coherence  and  comparability.  Member  States  have  undertaken  improvements  of  the 
underlying data sources and the statistical tools used for data preparation which result in better 
data accuracy, coverage and timeliness of data provisions to the Commission. 

Enhanced  quality  and  the  increasing  punctuality  of  data  supply  by  the  Member  States  have 
allowed  the  Commission  to  shorten  the  time  needed  for  data  dissemination,  implying  better 
timeliness of data releases and improving further the accessibility of data by the users. 

In addition, in the area of statistics collected under Article 3, since reference year 2013, the data 
collection has been merged with data requested under Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 in order to 
achieve consistency among the different population breakdowns and, to the possible extent, of the 
demographic  balances  between  population,  vital  events  and  migration  flows.  The  Metadata 
information that Member States have to mandatorily fill in has also been merged. 

Moreover, in the area of statistics collected under Articles 4-7, the statistical cooperation within 
the Commission, with other EU bodies and the Member States have resulted in the amendments 
to  the  guidelines  for  the  data  collected  under  the  Regulation10.  Methodological  improvements 
have  resulted  in  the  enhanced  clarity  of  the  statistical  definitions  and  concepts.  The  recent 
legislative  developments  in  the  area  of  migration  and  asylum  have  been  integrated  into 
methodological guidance of data collections on asylum and residence permits. 

Technical  improvements  undertaken  by  the  Commission  ensured  more  efficient  data  validation 
and processing, while the collection of the extensive quality information allows full assessment 
of the incoming data quality. When necessary, non-compliance measures (administrative letters) 
were undertaken to ensure necessary level of compliance with the requirements.  

5. 

QUALITY OF THE STATISTICS PRODUCED  

5.1. 

Relevance  

Within  the  Commission,  the  main  user  of  migration  and  asylum  statistics  is  DG  Migration  and 
Home Affairs. However, these statistics are also frequently used by other Commission’s Services, 
in particular, by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and by DG Justice.  

One  important  use  of  these  statistics  has  been  as  part  of  the  annual  allocation  of  the  budgetary 
envelope for each Member State for the Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows Funds. 

10 Revisions of the 'Technical Guidelines for the data collection under Article  4(1) (3)  of the Regulation (EC) No 
862/2007  ;    Statistics  on  Asylum',  'Technical  Guidelines  for  the  data  collection  under  Article  6  of  the  Regulation 
(EC)  No  862/2007;    Statistics  on  Residence  Permits'  in  2014  and  the  Technical  Guidelines  for  the  data  collection 
under  Articles    5  and  7  of  the  Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007;    Enforcement  of  Immigration  Legislation  (EIL) 
Statistics  in  2014;  revision  of  'Technical  Guidelines  for  the  data  collection  under  Article    4(4)  of  the  Regulation 
862/2007;  Dublin Statistics' in 2015.  

5 

 
 
                                                            
Since the 2012 report the structure of these Funds has been changed and it is now based on the 
new  legal  basis:  the  Asylum,  Migration  and  Integration  Fund  (AMIF),  established  under 
Regulation  (EU)  No  516/2014  11,  and  the  Internal  Security  Fund  (ISF),  established  under 
Regulation (EU) No 515/2014 12, set up for the period 2014-20. Due to the multi-annual funding 
arrangements under these new Funds, data are no longer provided annually. The allocations were 
calculated  on  the  basis  of  the  statistics  previously  supplied,  with  the  exception  of  ISF  where  a 
mid-term review is required.  

The  statistics  on  migration  and  international  protection  are  used  by  the  Commission  for  the 
preparation  of  regular  reports,  policy  proposals,  implementation  reports  required  by  basic  acts 
and  policy  analysis.  For  example,  the  European  Migration  Network  Annual  Report  on 
Immigration and Asylum13 provides a factual overview of the main developments in the area of 
migration  and  international  protection,  at  both  EU  and  national  level.  European  statistics  on 
migration  flows  and  population  stocks  by  country  of  birth  and  citizenship  are  important  for 
publications such as the Special Supplement on Demographic Trends of the EU Employment and 
Social Situation Quarterly Review14. 

The  European  Migration  Network  (EMN)15  continues  to  be  a  major  user  of  Eurostat  migration 
and  international  protection  statistics  for  the  purpose  of  its  annual  EU-  and  national-level 
statistical and analytical reports.  

Since the 2012 Report there has been an increasing use of European statistics to support the work 
of migration-related European Union agencies such as the External Borders Agency (FRONTEX) 
and  the  European  Asylum  Support  Office  (EASO).  Eurostat  works  very  closely  with  those 
agencies in developing data collections and related statistical methodology. 

The  statistics  produced  under  the  Regulation  are  regularly  used  by  national  administrations, 
international  organisations,  academic  researchers  and  civil  society  groups  working  on  a  wide 
range  of  topics  including  the  integration  of  immigrants,  the  development  and  monitoring  of 
national  asylum  and  immigration  procedures,  and  the  projection  of  the  future  population  and 
labour force. 

11 Regulation (EU) No 516/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 establishing the 
Asylum,  Migration  and  Integration  Fund,  amending  Council  Decision  2008/381/EC  and  repealing  Decisions  No 
573/2007/EC  and  No  575/2007/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  and  Council  Decision 
2007/435/EC - OJ L 150, 20.5.2014, p. 168. 

12 Regulation (EU) No 515/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 establishing, as part 
of  the  Internal  Security  Fund,  the  instrument  for  financial  support  for  external  borders  and  visa  and  repealing 
Decision No 574/2007/EC - OJ L 150, 20.5.2014, p. 143. 
13  European Migration Network (EMN) Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014: A Synthesis of Annual 
Policy Reports 2014 submitted by EU Member States and Norway accompanied by the Statistic Annex. 
14 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5775829/KE-BH-13-0S2-EN.PDF  
15 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_migration_network/index_en.htm 

6 

 
 
                                                            
5.2. 

Accuracy 

Since  the  2012  Report,  a  considerable  improvement  of  the  accuracy  of  data  provided  by  the 
Member States has been observed. In particular in the area of statistics under Articles 4-7 of the 
Regulation  the  widespread  redevelopment  of  administrative  systems  related  to  asylum  and 
immigration  controls,  and  for  the  registration  of  the  population,  has  had  a  strongly  positive 
impact  on  the  accuracy  of  the  statistical  data.  Member  States  continue  to  introduce  more 
integrated  and  comprehensive  administrative  systems  that  make  use  of  modern  IT  and 
communication  methods.  The  new  systems  respond  better  to  the  methodological  and  technical 
requirements of the Eurostat data collections. Member States have kept Eurostat informed about 
ongoing changes to administrative systems and have sought advice and confirmation that the data 
would meet the requirements of the Regulation.  

Eurostat collects metadata, in particular information related to data accuracy, explaining, among 
other aspects, the data sources and procedures, any estimation or modelling processes which are 
applied  to  the  data,  and  the  possible  effects  of  these  on  the  degree  of  compliance  with  the 
definitions  in  the  Regulation.  In  addition,  special  quality  questionnaires  were  designed  by 
Eurostat to collect more specific information related to data quality.  

Since  the  2012  report,  there  has  been  a  significant  reduction  in  the  amount  of  missing  and 
incomplete  data.  A  number  of  national  authorities  have  improved  practices  to  ensure  that  the 
necessary  information  is  gathered  during  the  immigration  administrative  procedures  and  have 
enhanced computing systems allowing these data to be easily obtained for statistical purposes.  

Although  improvements  were  achieved,  in  the  area  of  Article  3    specific  accuracy  issues  still 
exist,  namely  the  under-coverage  (i.e.,    persons  do  not  register  their  residence)  and  the  over-
coverage (persons do not de-register as often there is no obligation or incentive to do it). 

In  the  area  of  asylum  statistics  initial  problems  with  the  non-  or  limited  availability  in  some 
Member States of age and sex information taken  from administrative records have  been solved 
and data are fully complete. Certain data gaps related to the initial years of data collections under 
the  Regulation  remain,  also  for  the  residence  permit  statistics  and  due  to  technical  constrains 
these  gaps  can  no  longer  be  filled.  Specific  accuracy  problems  related  to  the  differences  in 
reporting latency and practices across Member States remain in the area of statistics covered by 
the Article 4(4) (Dublin statistics) and result in the limited consistency between data on incoming 
and outgoing transfer requests. 

5.3. 

Timeliness and punctuality 

Depending on the type of data concerned, the deadline to supply data is between 2 and 12 months 
after the reference date or the end of the reference period.  

Since the 2012 report, a considerable improvement of the punctuality of data provisions has been 
observed.  The  introduction  of  the  automated  extraction  procedures  at  national  level  and  the 
regular compliance monitoring by Eurostat have led to punctual data provisions. Some remaining 

7 

 
 
issues are isolated, non-recurring cases (for example, due to staff changes or disruption caused by 
changes to computing systems).  

More  timely  and  complete  supply  of  data  under  the  Regulation  has,  in  turn,  helped  Eurostat  to 
improve  the  timeliness  of  its  data  processing  and  dissemination.  The  time  delay  between  data 
being received and validated data being published on the Eurostat public dissemination website 
has decreased since the 2012 report. In addition, progressive introduction of automated internal 
validation  procedures  with  error-feedback  reporting  to  the  national  data  providers  has  further 
decreased the processing time.  

5.4. 

Accessibility  

The migration data (and metadata) for all four domains (Migration, population stocks, acquisition 
of citizenship; Asylum; Enforcement of immigration legislation; Residence permits) are available 
free of charge on the Eurostat website under the themes 'Population (Demography, migration and 
projections)'16  and  'Asylum  and  managed  migration'17.  The  data  are  included  in  compendium 
publications  such  as  the  Eurostat  Yearbook18,  as  well  as  detailed  publications  focussed  on 
specific  migration-related  topics19.  Since  the  2012  report,  Eurostat  has  promoted  the  use  of 
Statistics  Explained  articles  by  giving  more  information  about  the  statistics,  trends  and  their 
interpretation. Such articles are produced and regularly updated for  all data collected  under the 
Regulation20. 

The  'Population'  section  on  the  Eurostat's  website  includes  statistics  under  the  Regulation  and 
records an increasing number of users (from 50 thousand to 60 thousand page views per month 
and from 5.7% to 7.2% of total Eurostat page views in the last 3 years) and ranks second in this 
respect in Eurostat. 

5.5. 

Comparability and coherence 

5.5.1.  Definitions  

Since  the  2012  report,  the  use  of  harmonised  definitions  for  all  data  collections  under  the 
Regulation has greatly enhanced data comparability.  

The  problems  related  to  strict  application  of  definitions  have  been  hardest  to  address  with  the 
migration and acquisition of citizenship statistics covered by Article 3 of the Regulation. It is for 
these data that the greatest dissimilarities occur among national systems due to the variety of the 
data sources used. The efforts are ongoing but some countries were unable to use the 12-month 
criteria  for  defining  immigration  /  emigration  flows  often  because  the  national  statistical 

 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Europe_in_figures_-_Eurostat_yearbook 

16 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/population-demography-migration-projections/statistics-illustrated 
17 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/asylum-and-managed-migration/statistics-illustrated 
18
19 For example, see the Eurostat Data in Focus Publications such as Asylum applicants and first instance decisions on 
asylum  applications:  Third  quarter  2014  -  Issue  number  15/2014  http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-data-in-
focus/-/KS-QA-14-015 
20 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Population 

8 

 
 
                                                            
definition of a migration was based on permanent criteria for nationals or a six month criteria for 
some EEA citizenships (Nordic agreement). Four countries were unable to use the living-in-the-
country criteria for acquisition of citizenship, as it included grants of citizenship to persons not 
living in the country or with a permanent residence in the country. 

Statistics  covered  by  Article  3  have  achieved  greater  consistency  and  comparability  with  the 
demographic  data  collections  by  agreeing  with  the  Member  States  on  the  same  age  definitions 
and  breakdowns  and  on  the  definition  of  EU  aggregates  in  the  case  of  an  enlargement  as  it 
happened in 2013 with the accession of Croatia21. 

Improvements  have  been  achieved  in  definitions,  methods  and  data  sources  thanks  to  the  2011 
round EU population and housing census as useful input together with the use of mirror statistical 
data.  However  specific  issue  concerning  the  use  of  only  the  concept  of  permanent  registration 
with no time criteria for the stay affects data comparability.  

New  methodological  guidelines  were  implemented  for  the  data  collections  under  Articles  4-7. 
The new guidelines provide more precise and clear guidance on the application of definitions and 
concepts for  the  data collections on asylum, residence permits and  enforcement  of  immigration 
legislation. They also incorporate the latest legislative developments. For instance, the new set of 
recast  legislation  in  the  area  of  asylum  adopted  between  2011  and  2013  22,was  reflected  in  the 
revision of the methodological guidelines of the Article 4 data collections.  

5.5.2.  Data sources 

Since the 2012 report concerning Article 3, countries have improved the quality of the statistics 
transmitted  to  Eurostat  by  using  additional  sources  (Health  Insurance  Registers,  Tax  Registers, 
Census  2011)  and  in  particular  the  mirror  flows  reported  by  partner  countries  in  order  to  solve 
coverage errors due to the non-propensity to register and de-register, and, as a consequence, the 
underestimation of emigration flows and double counting of part of the population stocks. This 
work has been monitored by Eurostat by in-depth discussion with National Statistical Institutes 
and by facilitating the exchange of data among countries. 

The  Commission  (Eurostat)  was  informed  on  enhancements  and  redevelopments  of  the 
administrative registers in the area of asylum, residence permits and enforcement of immigration 

21 For example, the specification of the EU aggregate for 2013 changes if we refer to the aggregate at the beginning 
of 2013 (which was still EU27) or at the end of 2013 (which was EU28). 
22Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on standards for the 
qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform 
status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection, and for the content of the protection granted (OJ 
L 337, 20.12.2011, p. 9); Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 
2013  establishing  the  criteria  and  mechanisms  for  determining  the  Member  State  responsible  for  examining  an 
application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless 
person (OJ L 180, 29.6.2013, p. 31); Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 
2013  on  common  procedures  for  granting  and  withdrawing  international  protection  (OJ  L  180,  29.6.2013,  p.  60); 
Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the 
reception of applicants for international protection (OJ L 180, 29.6.2013, p. 96). 

9 

 
 
                                                            
legislation  by  the  national  data  providers.  These  improvements  were  aimed  mainly  at  the 
modernisation  of  registers,  including  better  compliance  with  the  methodological  and  technical 
requirements  of  data  collections  under  the  Regulation.  In  some  Member  States  such  technical 
developments  led  to  interruptions  in  the  supply  of  data.  Such  interruptions  happen  with  prior 
notification to Eurostat and eventually result in improvements of data quality. 

5.5.3.  Coherence 

Where  comparisons  are  possible,  the  results  indicate  a  high  degree  of  coherence  with  data 
collected  and  published  in  other  exercises  and  by  national  and  international  organisations. 
Eurostat  cooperates  closely  with  EU  agencies  EASO  and  FRONTEX  to  ensure  full  coherence 
among  the  data  collected  by  these  agencies.  Any  differences  between  the  data  supplied  to 
Eurostat  and  the  statistics  published  by  national  authorities  can  be  explained  by  differences  in 
definition  where  Member  States  have  chosen  to  retain  distinct  definitions  in  the  nationally 
published statistics. Regulation (EU)  No 1260/2013  requires Member  States to ensure that data 
on population are consistent with those required under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007.  

5.6.  Measures to improve quality  

The Commission continues to undertake follow-up measures in response to non-compliance with 
the Regulation. In some cases data supplied by a country were incomplete, of low quality or were 
delivered  not  in  accordance  with  the  legal  deadlines.  These  measures  are  undertaken  in  the 
framework of Eurostat's regular annual compliance monitoring exercise.  

Since  the  2012  report,  these  actions  have  demonstrated  a  very  significant  progress  by  Member 
States  in  terms  of  data  completeness,  quality  and  timeliness.  This  can  be  observed  by  the 
reduction  in  the  number  of  non-compliance  administrative  letters  addressed  to  the  National 
Statistical Authorities (Table 2).  

Table  2:  Overview  of  the  number  of  Member  States  receiving  non-compliance  letters  in  the 
framework of the compliance monitoring exercise 

Article 3 

Migration, 
population stocks, 
acquisition of 
citizenship 

Article 4 

Asylum 

Articles 5 and 7 

Enforcement of 
immigration 
legislation 

Article 6 

Residence permits 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

6 

0 

2 

1 

3 

0 

0 

0 

5 

1 

3 

0 

5 

1 

1 

1 

10 

 
 
 
 
In response to the need to evaluate data quality more effectively, a new generic data validation 
tool was introduced in the data processing. This automated tool is also available to the national 
data  providers  and  the  verifications  are  based  on  the  sets  of  validation  rules  agreed  between 
Eurostat and the Member States.  

To  further  evaluate  the  quality  of  the  incoming  data,  Eurostat  has  undertaken  work  on  the 
gathering  of  more  extensive  metadata  and  quality  information.  According  to  the  European 
Statistical System quality standards, domain specific quality questionnaires have been developed 
since  2014  in  the  areas  of  asylum,  residence  permits  and  enforcement  statistics.  The  national 
quality reports will serve for quality checks, evaluation and improvements and will be accessible 
to the general public.  

According  to  Article  8  of  Regulation  (EU)  No  1260/2013,  countries  are  required  to  carry  out 
feasibility  studies  on  the  use  of  the  definition  of  ‘usual  residence’  for  population.  The  studies 
include  the  analysis  of  current  and  potential  data  sources,  data  processing  and  possibility  of 
estimation of necessary statistics.  They principally aim to improve the comparability of concepts 
and  definitions  and  consequently  result  in  better  data  quality  and  comparability.  They  will  be 
used in the report on Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 that the Commission shall prepare by the 
end of 2018. The results of the above feasibility studies and the report can have consequences on 
the European population statistics and consequently on the consistency with data provided under 
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007.   

6. 

CONCLUSION 

Regulation  (EC)  No  862/2007  has  resulted  in  signal  improvements  of  European  statistics  on 
migration and international protection. Moreover, since the 2012 report, a further improvement in 
terms  of  data  availability,  completeness,  quality  and  timeliness  has  been  observed.  Data 
collections  under  the  Regulation  have  undergone  further  methodological  and  technical 
developments leading to improved guidance for the Member States. The quality of data received 
under the Regulation has also benefitted from the coming into force of the Regulation (EU) No 
1260/2013  and  related  implementing  measures  as  well  as  Census  2011  round.  Improvement  of 
the  quality  should  be  continued  in  the  future,  notably  to  increase  timeliness  of  data,  improve 
accuracy and tackle under- and over-coverage, 

There has been a corresponding increase in the use made of all these statistics by official bodies 
at European and national level, by non-governmental bodies and by the citizen.  

The  data  required  under  the  Regulation  should  reflect  the  evolving  needs  of  the  users  while 
taking  into  account  the  capacity  of  the  data  providers.  This  could  lead  to  future  proposals  for 
amendments of the Regulation in order to add new data categories or specific disaggregations and 
/ or eliminate data requirements whenever they are considered less useful. New data gaps have 
been  identified  by  the  Commission  and  addressed  by  other  data  collection  approaches  such  as 
gentlemen's  agreements (e.g.  collection of data on first time asylum applicants, data on type of 
returns of irregular migrants, data on residence permits disaggregated by age and sex and cross 

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classified  with  other  breakdowns).  Other  identified  data  gaps  like  the  breakdown  of  population 
data under Article 3 by individual country of citizenship as well as immigration / emigration by 
single previous / next country of residence cannot be addressed under the framework of voluntary 
agreements.  

In the longer-term, the redevelopment of European census statistics beyond 2021, with a possible 
move  to  more  frequent  (annual)  statistics,  is  likely  to  result  in  greater  availability  of  data  on 
different aspects of migration. This should also contribute to fulfil evolving and emerging needs 
for migration-related statistics. 

In the framework of the Commission REFIT project (European Commission's Regulatory Fitness 
and Performance programme), the Commission shall undertake actions to make EU law simpler 
and  to  reduce  regulatory  costs,  thus  contributing  to  a  clear,  stable  and  predictable  regulatory 
framework supporting growth and jobs. Certain overlaps related to the statistical reporting in the 
existing legislation in the area of population and migration (e.g. in the area of residence permit 
statistics) have been already identified and could be tackled through a simplified legislation.  

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