Meeting users’ demands for truly European statistics Steven Keuning, ECB, Director General of Statistics 91 st DGINS Conference Copenhagen, 26 May 2005

“… communication is an integral part of monetary policy” (Trichet, January 2005) The “art of external communication”

Growing users’ requirements (enhanced datasets and better accessibility) Limited financial and human resources Importance of appropriate communication by statisticians Issues also faced by the ECB, as user and provider of statistics How to address the dilemma? Efficient priority setting Efficient organisation of statistics Efficient communication with the users Challenges for providers of statistics

Key criterion: impact on European policy-making Purely national needs no longer justify European statistical legal acts ECB’s current key priorities: euro area QSA, GFS and S-T S Estimate merits and costs of new or enhanced statistics; involve main users of European statistics I. Efficient priority setting in Europe

Considerable progress, still some challenges ahead: Explore further methods to improve timeliness (European sampling; face increasing competition from private data providers) Enhance data consistency (e.g. more integrated frameworks) Strive for more comparable data and methods (HICP) Smooth the exchange of information among key statistical players (e.g. ESCB framework for joint dissemination) II. Efficient organisation of statistics in Europe

Example 1: Government Finance Statistics Quality must be indisputable Complete accounts twice a year (national data) Lower timeliness accepted (end March, end September) Reform of the SGP brings additional data needs Contribution of NCBs (financial accounts, expertise support, independence) II. Efficient organisation of statistics in Europe

Example 2: Short-term statistics High frequency and short delay for European policy-making Timely aggregated results more important than detail In Europe, more co-ordination of national production, release and revision policies needed (FROCH Group) Still room for improvement in PEEIs (e.g. labour market indicators) II. Efficient organisation of statistics in Europe

Proactive communication essential (e.g. HICP after introduction of the euro) Stronger focus on user-friendly websites Publish quantitative quality indicators with press releases Publish full inventories of sources and methods III. Efficient communication with the users

Credibility of statistics at the forefront of the European policy debate (independence, integrity and accountability) ESS should become a real “system” (harmonise methods, release dates) Further enhance co-operation between ESS and ESCB (exchange of confidential information) Proactive and active communication on important role of independently compiled statistics in modern democracies Conclusions