REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice and coordination within the European Statistical System
Date: 2016-03-07
Institutions: European Commission, Eurostat
Subjects: EFTA countries, EU Member State, EU statistics, Eurostat

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 7.3.2016  
COM(2016) 114 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice and coordination 
within the European Statistical System 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  European  Statistics  Code  of  Practice  (CoP)1  was  endorsed  by  the  Statistical 
Programme  Committee  in  2005,  and  amended  in  2011  by  the  European  Statistical 
System Committee (ESSC) following the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 
of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics2. 

A  self-assessment  against  the  Principles  of  the  Code  was  launched  in  2005.  This 
was  followed  in  2006-2008  by  peer  reviews  across  the  Member  States,  European 
Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and Eurostat. These reviews assessed the 
institutional  environment  and  dissemination  practices  of  statistical  institutes 
(Principles 1 to 6 and 15)3. The 2008 Commission report to the European Parliament 
and the Council4 concluded that ‘full compliance with the Code remains a challenge 
for basically all statistical institutes and Eurostat’ despite there being ‘overall high 
compliance 
to 
levels  complemented  by  dynamic  progress  with 
improvements’.  The  report  envisaged  another  round  of  peer  reviews  ‘…within  the 
next five years subject to advice by the European Statistical Governance Advisory 
Board in particular on the scope and considering costs and benefits’. Special Report 
No 12 // 20125  by the European Court of Auditors on improvements to the process 
for  producing  reliable  and  credible  European  statistics  also  recommended  a  new 
round of peer reviews. 

regard 

Consequently, a new round of peer reviews was launched in the 28 Member States, 
the four EFTA countries and Eurostat at the end of 2013, within the following five 
years as envisaged in the above Commission report to the European Parliament and 
the Council. Their aim was primarily to improve the efficiency and credibility of the 
European  Statistical  System  (ESS),  to  increase  its  capacity  to  produce  European 
statistics, to reassure stakeholders of both the quality of European statistics and the 
trustworthiness of the ESS, and to give producers of statistics an inside view on the 
progress made to date. 

This round of peer reviews differed in many respects from the previous one. Firstly, 
all  15  Principles  of  the  Code  and  the  coordinating  role  of  the  National  Statistical 
Institutes (NSIs) within their statistical systems were subject to an audit-like review. 
Secondly,  the  reviews  focused  on  issues  where  further  progress  was  needed. 
Thirdly,  in  addition  to  the  NSIs,  a  number  of  other  national  authorities  (ONAs) 
responsible  for  producing  European  statistics  were  assessed,  although  not  to  the 
same  extent  as  the  NSIs  themselves.  Fourthly,  evaluations  were  conducted  by 
independent  peer  reviewers,  with  Eurostat  being  reviewed  by  the  European 
Statistical  Governance  Advisory  Board.  The  reports6  present  the  peer  reviewers’ 
views and findings and make recommendations for action. The countries concerned 
and Eurostat responded to these recommendations, designing improvement actions 
to be implemented accordingly. 

1  http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3859598/5921861/KS-32-11-955-EN.PDF/5fa1ebc6-90bb-43fa-
888f-dde032471e15. 
2 OJ L 87, 31.3.2009, p. 164.  
3 All references to Principles and Indicators relate to the European Statistics Code of Practice. 
4 COM(2008) 621 final, 2008 Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on 

implementation of the Code of Practice (7.10.2008). 

5 http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR12_12/SR12_12_EN.PDF. 
6 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/quality/peer-reviews. 

2 

 
 
                                                 
2.  MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BY ISSUE 

Summary of strengths and recommendations 

The  peer  review  reports  highlight  a  number  of  strengths.  In  particular,  the 
following aspects emerged as strengths: 

The  reports  emphasise  the  strong  legal  basis  that  supports  the  widely  recognised 
and  unchallenged  professional  independence,  impartiality  and  objectivity  of 
statistical  authorities.  Coordination  with  ONAs  is  also  seen  as  a  strength  for  a 
number of NSIs, as is their clear mandate for data collection. 

Highly  trained,  motivated  and  dedicated  staff  contributes  to  the  high  level  of 
credibility  of  and  trust  in  the  NSIs.  Nonetheless,  further  reductions  in  human  and 
financial  resources,  combined  with  additional  cost-efficiency  measures,  risk 
jeopardising their ability to meet future challenges. 

Strengths  were  observed  in  systems,  tools,  methods  and  interaction  with  users. 
Nevertheless, the reports indicate a need to improve administrative and operational 
structures, for example, by introducing quality audits and dedicated quality teams or 
managers. 

NSIs’  strengths  lie  also  in  the  clear  legal  bases  for  obtaining  access  to 
administrative  data and  for increasing  cooperation with owners of administrative 
data. The reports still, however, recommend involving the NSIs more in the design 
and development of methods and tools for administrative databases. 

Significant  progress  has  been  made  in  limiting  the  number  of  and  in  regulating 
privileged  access  (under  embargo)  to  statistical  pre-releases.  The  availability  of 
modern  tools,  visualisation  techniques  and  web-based  and  social-media  data  are 
additional strengths in the area of dissemination. 

In  addition,  the  reports  mention  initiatives  such  as  internal  quality  reviews, 
mandatory  technical  specifications  for  data  submissions,  integrated  customer 
relationship  management  systems,  response  burden  barometers  and  networks  for 
exchanging  experiences.  The  active  participation  of  members  of  the  ESS  on  the 
international statistical scene is considered an asset for the whole system. 

led 

The  peer  reviews 
to  707  recommendations,  an  average  of  21 per 
country/Eurostat.  Table  1  below  presents  an  overview  of  the  recommendations, 
which require action to either achieve compliance or, where compliance has already 
been achieved, to improve implementation. 

Although  it  is  not  appropriate  to  draw  comparisons  with  the  previous  peer  review 
round due to the differences in its scope and in the methodology used, it should be 
emphasised  that  only  9 %  (65)  of  the  recommendations  concern  non-compliance 
with the Code. Most relate to impartiality and dissemination (22) and professional 
independence  (20).  These  figures  should,  however,  be  interpreted  with  caution  as 
the  recommendations  cover  a  wide  array  of  issues  of  varying  importance,  ranging 
from amending statistical law to placing a logo on a website or in publications. 

3 

 
 
Table 1: Peer Reviewers' recommendations by issue 

Issue 

Total 
1 Governance and legal aspects; coordination 

1.1 Governance and legal aspects 

1.1.1 Professional independence 
1.1.2 Mandate for data collection 
1.1.3 Legal aspects of confidentiality 

1.2 Coordination 

2 Adequacy of resources and cost-effectiveness 

2.1 Resources 
2.2 Training 
2.3 Cost-effectiveness 
3 Quality and methodology 
3.1 Quality commitment 
3.2 Methodology and protection of confidentiality 
3.3 Output quality and user interaction 

4 Burden reduction and administrative data 

4.1 Burden reduction 
4.2 Administrative data 

5 Impartiality and dissemination 

5.1 Impartiality 
5.2 Dissemination: accessibility and clarity 
5.3 Dissemination of microdata 

Total 
recommen
dations 

To improve 
implementa
tion of the 
CoP 

To achieve 
compliance 
with the 
CoP 

707 
216 
95 
88 
4 
3 
121 
103 
42 
14 
47 
168 
64 
46 
58 
68 
22 
46 
152 
36 
85 
31 

642 
194 
73 
68 
3 
2 
121 
99 
38 
14 
47 
158 
59 
43 
56 
61 
22 
39 
130 
22 
78 
30 

65 
22 
22 
20 
1 
1 
0 
4 
4 
0 
0 
10 
5 
3 
2 
7 
0 
7 
22 
14 
7 
1 

The presentation of the findings below is structured according to groups of issues. 
These  were  identified  by  the  peer  reviewers  based  on  the  structure  of  the  Code, 
although the groupings are not identical to those used in the Code. 

The  reports  also  include  the  views  of  the  NSIs  and  Eurostat,  in  cases  where  their 
views  diverge  from  those  of  the  peer  reviewers.  The  NSIs  and  Eurostat  designed 
improvement  actions  in  response  to  the  recommendations7,  which  are  published 
separately. 

2.1 Governance and legal aspects; coordination 

This  section  discusses  the  independence  of  statistical  authorities,  and  covers  the 
following  specific  issues:  the  nomination  and  dismissal  of  heads  of  statistical 
authorities; issues related to work programmes; the mandate for data collection; the 
legal aspects of confidentiality; and the coordinating role of NSIs. 

2.1.1 Governance and legal aspects, including the legal and procedural aspects 
of confidentiality 

Two  main  issues  relating  to  governance  emerged  from  the  peer  review  reports, 
namely  the  need  to  revise  statistical  laws  in  order  to  create  greater  professional 
independence  in  relation  to  the  nomination  and  dismissal  of  the  heads  of 
statistical  authorities,  and  the  need  to  strengthen  stakeholder  consultation. 
Legislative  or  institutional  changes  may  be  required  in  order  to  be  able  to 
implement  many  of  the  recommendations  in  this  area.  Implementation  of  these 
recommendations  therefore  falls  within  the  remit  of  the  relevant  national 
authorities rather than that of the NSIs. 

7 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/quality/peer-reviews. 

4 

 
                                                 
In their reports, the peer reviewers focused in particular on the independence of 
the  heads  of  statistical  authorities.  The  recent  amendment  to  Regulation  (EC) 
No 223/20098 further emphasised the need for independence. It requires Member 
States to take measures to bring their national practices and procedures into line 
with  the  new  European  legal  framework.  Thus,  in  order  for  the  ESS  to  comply 
fully  with  Principle  1,  there  is  need  to  take  further  action.  In  particular,  the 
procedures  need  to  be  amended  such  that:  i)  the  appointment  of  heads  of 
statistical  authorities  is  based  on  professional  competence  and  open  selection 
procedures; ii) there are clear criteria set out for their dismissal, and these criteria 
are  applied;  iii)  heads  of  statistical  authorities  have  sole  responsibility  for 
deciding  on  statistical  methods,  procedures  and  the  content  and  timing  of 
statistical  releases.  The  results  of  the  latest  round  of  peer  reviews  contrast  with 
those from 2006-2008, where professional independence was seen to be fully met. 
This  is  due  to:  i)  differences  in  the  methodology  used  for  conducting  the  peer 
reviews;  ii)  the  inclusion  of  ONAs  in  the  bodies  reviewed;  and  iii)  changes 
making  the  requirements  related  to  the  independence  of  the  heads  of  statistical 
authorities more stringent. 

Statistical authorities are, as a rule, part of the national administration. In order to 
achieve  full  independence  as  defined  in  the  Code,  it  is  therefore  essential  to 
ensure  that  any  ministerial  or  other  supervision  is  of  a  purely  administrative 
nature  and  has  no  implications  for  policy.  The  alternative  is  to  make  statistical 
institutes fully independent. 

ESS  members  were  generally  found  to  be  complying  with  the  Code  insofar  as 
concerns  the  requirement  to  establish  and  follow  multiannual  and  annual  work 
programmes, with only one case of non-compliance identified. 

Input from users of statistics is important for ensuring that statistics are produced 
efficiently  and  that  they  meet  user  needs.  Advisory  or  consultative  committees 
should  be  set  up,  or  their  roles  clarified  where  they  already  exist,  and  given 
adequate  resources.  This  will  help  NSIs  to  make  informed  decisions  about 
ongoing and future work. 

Principles  2  and  5,  which  relate,  respectively,  to  data  collection  and  the  legal 
aspects of confidentiality, are being complied with. There is, however, scope for 
progress  in  adding  further  safeguards  to  ensure  that  confidential  statistical  data 
are not used for administrative purposes. 

2.1.2 Coordination within the statistical system 

Coordination  within  the  statistical  system  does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  the 
Code.  It  was,  however,  included  in  the  exercise,  in  order  to  gauge  the  level  of 
coordination that NSIs provide within their national statistical systems, and thus 
to be able to further strengthen the ESS. 

Most  of  the  recommendations  in  this  area  relate  to  steps  that  could  be  taken  to 
strengthen the coordinating role of the NSIs in general. For effective coordination 
to  be  possible,  the  concept  of  official  statistics  needs  to  be  clarified  and  the 
producers of official statistics need to be designated, where this has not yet been 
done.  There  should  be  a  clear  legal  basis  for  coordination,  including  for  the 
related  institutional  arrangements.  The  necessary  human  and  financial  resources 
must also be provided and written agreements concluded with ONAs, in order to 
support the implementation of this legislation in practice. Coordination should be 

8 OJ L 123, 19.5.2015, p. 90. 

5 

 
                                                 
organised  on  the  basis  of  the  common  objectives  and  annual  statistical 
programmes that apply to all bodies within the National Statistical System (NSS). 
Reports  should  be  published  on  the  implementation  of  these  national  statistical 
programmes. 

Moreover,  further  work  is  needed  to  ensure  the  quality  of  European  statistics 
produced by ONAs. Under amended Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the NSIs are 
responsible  for  coordination  of  quality  monitoring  at  national  level.  In  addition, 
they should provide NSS-wide guidelines, standards and business process models 
and be the Commission’s sole point of contact on European statistics. 

2.2 Adequacy of resources and cost-effectiveness 

Adequacy of human and financial resources is a major issue across the ESS and was 
already  highlighted  as such in the 2008 Commission Report. This issue presents a 
serious risk for the future of the ESS. In spite of constant resource shortage, the ESS 
has  managed,  through  reforms  and  efficiency  measures,  to  cope  with  the 
ever-increasing  needs  for  more  statistical  data.  The  peer  reviewers  point  out, 
however,  that  many  NSIs  are  operating  under  pressure,  often  to  the  detriment  of 
methodological  improvements  and  national  statistical  demands  (see  also  2.3.1 
below).  In  order  to  ensure  that  reliable  European  statistics  can  continue  to  be 
produced, reviewers generally urge that adequate human and financial resources be 
secured  for  the  NSIs,  as  it  would  be  difficult  for  NSIs  to  meet  further  European 
statistical requirements without compromising on quality. 

Faced with these difficulties, many NSIs struggle to attract and retain highly skilled 
staff.  Whereas  the  situation  may  vary  from  country  to  country,  it  is  generally 
recommended  that  the  use  of  human  resources  be  further  improved  by  means  of 
appropriate  training  plans,  transfer  of  skills,  internal  mobility,  knowledge  sharing, 
increased training in ONAs and staff exchanges within the NSSs. 

Cost-effectiveness is closely linked to the effective use of resources (Principle 10). 
Although  no  cases  of  non-compliance  were  reported,  overall  cost-effectiveness 
could be improved in a number of ways, including: i) adopting a statistical business 
process  model  such  as  the  Generic  Statistical  Business  Process  Model;  ii)  using 
standard data processing tools; iii) making wider use of administrative data; and iv) 
potentially  transferring  responsibilities  from  ONAs,  especially  small  ONAs,  to  the 
NSI. 

There are a number of ESS initiatives currently under way that aim to better balance 
the  increasing  demands  for  European  statistics  with  the  available  resources.  These 
initiatives should thus help to improve compliance with Principles 3 and 10. Their 
specific objectives include:  simplifying European legislation, prioritising statistical 
needs  in  the  European  Statistical  Programme,  developing  methodologies  so  as  to 
provide  common  tools  and  instruments  and  ensuring  that  European  statistical 
requirements are reviewed regularly through Eurostat’s enhanced coordinating role. 

2.3 Quality and methodology 

European  statistics  must  be  underpinned  by  high  quality,  sound  methodology  and 
appropriate statistical procedures (Principles 4, 7 and 8). 

2.3.1 Quality commitment 

Overall,  the  ESS  should  invest  more  in  comprehensive  quality  management 
the  systematic 
systems,  ranging  from  quality  guidelines  and 

tools  and 

6 

 
documentation  of  statistical  processes  to  standard  quality  assurance  procedures 
and  regular  quality  audits.  The  peer  review  reports  also  raise  the  need  to  set  up 
dedicated  quality  and  methodology  units  with  sufficient  numbers  of  suitably 
qualified  staff.  The  reports  highlight  the  risk  the  strained  human  resource 
situation represents for the future quality and reliability of European statistics, in 
particular in view of its potential consequences for systematic work on quality. In 
view of this, adequate resources should be allocated to work on quality within the 
global allocation (see also point 2.2). 

2.3.2 Methodology and protection of confidentiality 

The ESS largely complies with the Code’s methodology-related principles, with 
only  one  recommendation  (out  of  32)  being  issued  on  compliance.  The  reports, 
nonetheless,  recommend  improving  the  methodology  for  the  development, 
updating  and  application  of  standard  guidelines  on  issues  such  as  questionnaire 
testing,  handling  sampling/non-sampling  errors,  editing, 
imputation  and 
validation  rules,  seasonal  adjustment  and  estimation  and  revision  policy.  There 
should  also  be  closer  cooperation  with 
the  scientific  community  on 
methodological work. 

The peer review reports highlighted a number of issues relating to the protection 
of  confidentiality,  mainly  where  improvements  could  be  made  to  protection 
techniques, but overall compliance is satisfactory in this area. The main issues to 
be  addressed  are  establishing  the  necessary  procedures  to  monitor  the  use  of 
microdata and adding further safeguards to ensure that confidential statistical data 
are not used for administrative purposes. 

2.3.3 Output quality and user interaction 

The  ESS  complies  with  the  Code  in  the  areas  of  output  quality  and  user 
interaction.  The  only  two  recommendations  (out  of  58)  where  compliance  was 
considered  not  yet  to  have  been  achieved  relate  to  the  policy  on  revisions  and 
calendars for statistical releases. 

The peer reviewers call in particular for monitoring and improving timeliness and 
punctuality  of  statistical  releases  as  well  as  for  user-friendly  release  calendars 
which should be regularly updated. 

The  recommendations  also  call  for  greater  commitment  to  meeting  user  needs. 
Steps  should  be  taken  to  raise  awareness  among  users  and  build  more  open 
relationships with the news media. 

2.4 Burden reduction and administrative data 

The issues identified by the peer reviewers mostly relate to the persisting obstacles 
to access to and use of administrative data, and to ensuring that NSIs are informed 
and  involved  at  an  early  stage  when  administrative  data  sources  are  to  be  set  up, 
modified or discontinued (indicators 2.2, 8.1, 8.7 to 8.9). Although most NSIs have 
statutory  access  to  or  other  appropriate  arrangements  allowing  them  to  access 
administrative data, in practice, they may only be granted access reluctantly. 

Problems  related  to  accessing  administrative  records  have  a  significant  impact  on 
the  response  burden  (Principle  9).  Over  15 %  of  the  recommendations  related  to 
accessing administrative records are about compliance with the Code. Any strategic 
approach to addressing this issue should therefore cover the legal or administrative 

7 

 
arrangements, including the written agreements that are concluded with the owners 
of administrative data to allow NSIs to have full access to all the administrative data 
they  need  for  producing  European  statistics,  including  tax  records.  Overall,  a 
general  change  of  attitude  should  be  advocated,  such  that  compiling  official 
statistics comes to be considered as one of the purposes of administrative registers. 
Statistical  authorities  should  be  able  to  influence  decisions  relating  to  various 
aspects  of  administrative  data,  in  particular:  the  concepts  used,  their  coverage,  the 
procedures  for  collecting  them,  the  criteria  used  to  determine  their  suitability  for 
statistical purposes and their design. 

The  peer  reviewers  also  recommend  a  number  of  other  measures  designed  to  ease 
the response burden without compromising user needs. These measures include data 
sharing, identifying the statistical potential of new data sources, in particular of big 
data, and measuring, monitoring and reporting on the response burden on a regular 
basis. 

2.5 Impartiality and dissemination 

Despite  data  being  made  available  on  the  web  and  the  research  community  being 
granted access to microdata in accordance with the Code (Principle 15 and indicator 
5.6), the fact of pre-release access being given to privileged users, for example the 
government  ministers  concerned  (indicator 6.7),  continues  to  be  an  issue  in  some 
countries. The reports recommend that pre-release access rights be strictly regulated, 
and  only  granted  as  an  exception.  In  such  cases,  the  situation  should  be  closely 
monitored  and  information  on  the  rights  granted  made  publicly  available.  To  this 
end,  annual  release  calendars,  covering  all  statistical  releases  and  major  revisions 
that  have  fixed  dates,  should  be  published  well  in  advance.  Changes  and  delays 
should be explained. 

The peer reviewers recommend improving dissemination channels and techniques in 
particular.  They  recommend  publishing  more  in-depth  and  custom-designed 
analyses,  providing  modern  visualising  and  dissemination  tools,  upgrading  or 
redesigning webpages, and improving the coverage and timeliness of data. National 
websites  should  have  more  content  in  English  in  order  to  make  them  more 
accessible to other ESS users. 

NSS need to do more to ensure that the dissemination of statistics is impartial. The 
most  pressing  issue  is  to  ensure  that  all  official  and  European  statistics  are 
disseminated  via  a  single  web  portal  or  by  creating  links  on  the  NSI  website,  in 
order to allow users to obtain a full picture of official statistics. 

Lastly,  the  network  of  safe  centres  and  remote  access  facilities  should  be  further 
extended  and  facilities  improved  to  give  better  access  to  microdata  for  research 
purposes. 

2.6 Divergent views 

The  reviews  followed  an  audit-like  methodology,  and  the  reports  therefore  also 
contain the statistical authorities’ views where these differ from the peer reviewers’ 
findings and recommendations. As shown in Table 2 below, there are 39 instances 
where  the  statistical  authorities’  own  views  diverged  from  those  of  the  peer 
reviewers.  As  a  rule,  where  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion,  no  improvement 
actions  have  been  designed.  Compared  with  the  total  number  of  recommendations 
(707),  the  number  of  issues  on  which  views  diverge  remains  limited.  This  means 
that the peer reviews were successful in identifying issues for improvement. 

8 

 
By  far  the  highest  number  of  divergences  of  opinion  (18  out  of  the  39  divergent 
views)  was  found  in  the  area  of  governance  and  legal  aspects,  in  particular 
professional  independence.  Unlike  the  peer  reviewers,  the  statistical  authorities  in 
these cases considered existing legislation or other arrangements to be sufficient to 
guarantee professional independence. This was particularly the case with respect to 
the  recruitment  and  dismissal  of  heads  of  statistical  authorities,  where  procedures 
were said to be in line with the general policies of the national authorities to which 
the statistical authorities belong. 

The  remaining  divergent  views  were  spread  relatively  evenly  over  the  other 
categories  of  issues,  with  up  to  four  divergent  views  being  recorded  for  each.  In 
each  of  the  three  areas,  the  protection  of  confidentiality,  the  dissemination  of 
microdata  and  coordination,  the  authorities’  views  differed  from  those  of  the 
reviewers in three cases. In the case of insufficient protection of confidentiality and 
dissemination  of  microdata,  the  peer  reviewers’  recommendations  were  contested, 
with statistical authorities citing the risks that would be posed to burden reduction, 
cost-efficiency  or  methodology  were  the  recommendations  to  be  accepted.  The 
diverging views recorded on the issue of coordination were country-specific. 

Table 2: Divergent views on peer reviewers’ recommendations 

Issue 

Total 
1 Governance and legal aspects; coordination 

1.1 Governance and legal aspects 

1.1.1 Professional independence 
1.1.2 Mandate for data collection 
1.1.3 Legal aspects of confidentiality 

1.2 Coordination 

2 Adequacy of resources and cost-effectiveness 

2.1 Resources 
2.2 Training 
2.3 Cost-effectiveness 
3 Quality and methodology 
3.1 Quality commitment 
3.2 Methodology and protection of confidentiality 
3.3 Output quality and user interaction 

4 Burden reduction and administrative data 

4.1 Burden reduction 
4.2 Administrative data 

5 Impartiality and dissemination 

5.1 Impartiality 
5.2 Dissemination: accessibility and clarity 
5.3 Dissemination of microdata 

Recommendations 
707 
216 
95 
88 
4 
3 
121 
103 
42 
14 
47 
168 
64 
46 
58 
68 
22 
46 
152 
36 
85 
31 

Divergent views 
39 
21 
18 
16 
1 
1 
3 
3 
1 
0 
2 
7 
2 
4 
1 
3 
2 
1 
5 
1 
1 
3 

3. 

IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS 

The NSIs and Eurostat have developed improvement action plans in response to the 
peer  reviewers’  recommendations.  These  follow  the  SMART  approach.9  The 
exercise led to a total of 929 improvement actions. 

The implementation of improvement actions will be monitored annually. NSIs and 
Eurostat report on their progress, and the information they provide then feeds into 
both  Eurostat’s  annual  progress  reports  to  the  ESSC,  and  the  European  Statistical 
Governance  Advisory  Board’s  annual  reports  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the 

9 Improvement actions should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. 

9 

 
 
                                                 
Council.  In  order  to  maintain  momentum,  all  improvement  actions  should  be 
implemented  by  the  end  of  2019,  after  which  date  Eurostat  will  prepare  a  final 
report for the ESSC. 

4.  CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS 

The ultimate objective of the assessments conducted in this round of peer reviews is 
to  strengthen  statistical  systems  at  both  national  and  European  level,  thereby 
increasing  the  trustworthiness  and  credibility  of  European  statistics  and  equipping 
the ESS to tackle future challenges. The adoption of the Commission Decision10 on 
the enhanced role of Eurostat in coordinating the production of European statistics, 
the  adoption  in  May  2015  of  the  Regulation  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
No 223/2009,  which  significantly  strengthens  the  independence  of  NSIs  and  their 
role  in  coordination,  and  the  developments  relating  to  the  ESS  Vision  202011  also 
underline the importance of this peer review round as a crucial tool in modernising 
the  ESS.  Although  the  exercise  has  value  in  itself  by  making  ESS  members 
scrutinise  their  policies,  practices  and  procedures,  its  full  impact  will  not  be  felt 
until the implementation of recommendations has progressed further. 

In general, the ESS has shown a high level of compliance with the Code. Statistical 
authorities  operate  on  sound  legal  bases,  their  credibility  and  independence  are  on 
the  whole  widely  recognised  and  they  enjoy  a  high  level  of  trust.  While  there  are 
significant concerns related to resources, the highly professional, well-educated and 
motivated staff is a significant strength for the ESS. The methodologies used and the 
quality  of  the  statistics  have  improved,  thanks  to  further  standardisation  and 
harmonisation  of  processes.  Nonetheless,  a  number  of  challenges  remain,  in 
particular with respect to improving and fine-tuning the implementation of the Code 
throughout the ESS. 

While  the  mandate  of  statistical  authorities  and  their  activities  are  determined  by 
their legal basis, some aspects and practices should be strengthened or revised. This 
relates  in  particular  to  the  development  of  clear,  transparent  and  objective 
procedures  for  recruiting  and  dismissing  heads  of  statistical  authorities.  Although 
several statistical authorities disagreed with the peer reviewers on the grounds that 
they  follow  the  general  administrative  procedures,  this  issue  would  merit  further 
reflection. 

Access  to  and  effective  use  of  administrative  data  is  a  critical  issue  in  achieving 
cost-efficiencies and reducing the response burden. Although legislative compliance 
has been  achieved in  this  area,  as  the  legal  bases for NSIs generally allow  access, 
some  practical  obstacles  to  actually  obtaining  this  access  still  remain.  A  step 
forward noted by peer reviewers in a number of countries was statistical authorities 
being  involved  in  deciding  on  any  planned  changes  to  or  the  discontinuation  of 
registers, and on the design of any new registers. 

The  coordination  of  official  statistics  presents  a  varied  picture,  partly  due  to  the 
NSSs  being  centralised  to  varying  degrees,  and  to  the  size  of  the  respective 
countries. There are a number of statistical authorities that have a strong legal basis 
and an effective and recognised mandate to coordinate the work of ONAs. In other 
cases,  however,  coordination  is  informal,  based  on  ad  hoc  arrangements  and 
personal contacts. This may be seen as acceptable, in particular in smaller countries, 

10 Commission Decision (2012/504/EU) of 17 September 2012 on Eurostat (OJ L 251, 18.9.2012, p. 49) 
11 ESS Vision 2020  

10 

 
                                                 
but  this  type  of  arrangement  does  not  allow  NSIs  to  be  invested  with  the  power 
needed  to  ensure  the  quality  of  European  statistics.  In  order  for  the  NSIs  to 
coordinate their national systems effectively, the coordinating role should therefore 
be backed by the necessary legal provisions and institutional arrangements. 

Methodology  and  quality  have  benefited  from  increased  cooperation  at  ESS  level, 
with  both  harmonised  and  standardised  tools  and  procedures  and  more  extensive 
sharing of knowledge and experience being introduced. 

Resources  are  an  area  of  concern.  All  statistical  authorities  have  optimised  or  are 
optimising  resource  use  by  means  of  a  range  of  measures,  including  determining 
priorities,  making  use  of  administrative  data  and  introducing  automated  data 
collection. Nonetheless, new and stricter policy requirements mean that the ESS is 
thought  to  be  approaching  a  critical  threshold  in  terms  of  balancing  increasing 
statistical  needs  and  resource  limitations.  The  peer  reviewers  almost  unanimously 
emphasise  that  securing  adequate  resources  while  also  maintaining  flexibility  in 
terms  of  how  ESS  members  use  these  resources  is  of  the  utmost  importance  for 
safeguarding the quality of European statistics. 

In  conclusion,  this  round  of  peer  reviews  has  demonstrated  both  the  dynamic 
development  that  has  taken  place  in  the  ESS  in  recent  years  and  the  value  of 
European  cooperation  for  its  work.  In  response  to  the  recommendations,  the  NSIs 
and Eurostat have prepared improvement action plans setting out practical measures 
to  improve  their  performance.  Implementation  will  be  subject  to  close  annual 
monitoring as of spring 2016 and should be completed by the end of 2019. Future 
measures will be decided in the light of lessons learnt and shared experiences. 

11