1. Responses to recent challenges in official statistics Renewed Institutional Frameworks and adoption of good statistical practice
Pieter Everaers
Director ESS Governance; International cooperation; Resources.
Eurostat, European Commission, Luxembourg
Buenos Aires
50 years INDEC
31 January 2018

2. Threats
The paradox of indicators used for policy making (once they are used they risk to be influenced)
Trust / Fake news etc. (other understanding of society)
New type of data sources (other access rules)
Competition with new information providers
New types of users (new media)
Transparent society, and request for new confidentiality rules (strengthened)
Declining budgets, increasing costs / burden etc.

3. How to adapt to changing circumstances without giving in on quality?
In short
How to adapt to changing circumstances without giving in on quality?

4. Opportunities Create a more sound (modernised) institutional framework
Make more efficient use of (all) data sources and new methodologies
Capture better all relevant user groups
Maintain a well organised (European) statistical system

5. Institutional framework (before 2012) of European Statistics
Art 338 in Treaty on the European Union
Regulation 223 (2009) on European Statistics (basic law and established ESSC)
(adv. Committees ESGAB and ESAC est in 2008)
Sectoral legislation on great variety of statistical domains
European Commission Decision on Eurostat (281/1997)
European Statistics Code of Practice (2005/2011): principles on institutional, outputs and processes

6. Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union art. 338
1. Without prejudice to Article 5 of the Protocol on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, the European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, shall adopt measures for the production of statistics where necessary for the performance of the activities of the Union.
2. The production of Union statistics shall conform to impartiality, reliability, objectivity, scientific independence, cost-effectiveness and statistical confidentiality; it shall not entail excessive burdens on economic operators.

7. More sound institutional framework
Creation of the European Statistical Forum, (ESF), (2013)
Cooperation between European Statistical System (ESS) and European System of Central Banks (ESCB)
Memorandum on Quality assurance of Statistics in Macro Economic Imbalance Procedure (2016)
Practical arrangements in areas of Balance of Payment and Financial Accounts

8. More sound institutional framework
Amending Reg. 223 (2009) on European Statistics (the basic law), by Reg. 759/2015
Commitment on confidence
Professional independence
Coordinating role of National Statistical Institutes in National Statistical System (mapping of NSS)
Access to administrative records and need to be consulted
Also other providers to adapt to the framework of the CoP and link to Code of Practice

9. Quality in statistics: levels
Conceptual
Methodological
Mathematical
Institutional
Contextual

10. Commitment on Confidence (CoC)
Political recognition of the importance of the CoP for maintaining public confidence
Transparency requirements
Implementation:
MS must put in place CoC or report on progress;
The Commission evaluates CoC implementation and reports to European Parliament and Council;
European Statistics Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB) reports on the Commission;

11. Coordinating role of NSIs and Heads of NSIs
Scope of coordination
Represent the national statistical system in the ESS
National guidelines for ensuring quality
Implementation:
List of statistical products
List of NSIs and Other National Authorities, incl. contact persons
Clarify the scope of the coordination

12. Access to administrative records
Strengthened right of access
Possibility to influence the design
Right to be involved before changes or discontinuation
Implementation

13. More sound institutional framework
Update the Decision on Eurostat (2012/504/EU)
To function as European Commissions 'Commitment on Confidence'
Responsibility and independence of Chief Statistician: coordination EC statistics
Access etc. to administrative records held in other EC-DG's
Recruitment and dismissal procedures
Quality guidelines for 'other statistics'

14. More sound institutional framework
Redesign of sectoral legislation
Reduce of the large number of specific (and very detailed) sectoral legislations to a reduced (handful) number of framework regulations (to be adopted by Council and Parliament) on the 'what'
to be combined with implementing and delegating regulation with further going responsibilities to the implementing institutions on the 'how'.
Integrated Farm Statistics, Integrated European Social Statistics, Framework Regulation for Integrated Business Statistics

15. More sound institutional framework
Update the Code of Practice (16 Nov 2017)
Quality declaration of the European Statistical System
New principle (1bis) on Coordination and cooperation
includes: contact point, national guidelines, cooperation
On access to data and information from multiple data sources and access to privately held data (principle 2)
Quality also concerns the integration of data from multiple sources (principle 4)
Acces Big data and cooperation with Public Private Partners

16. More sound institutional framework
Update the Code of Practice (16 Nov 2017) ctd
Data protection and security explicitly mentioned (principle 5)
Emphasizing independently deciding on time and content of releases (principle 6)
Methodology relates to registers and frames (principle 7)
Metadata managed throughout whole process (princ. 8)
Data sharing and data integration promoted (princ. 9)
Dissemination also uses platforms and open data standards (principle 15)

17. Capture all relevant user groups
Disappearing traditional publication modes
New types of 'results' (experimental)
New media / innovative techniques
New governance on dissemination / making more available

18. Four main messages
Fundamental Principles is not enough, new global commitment needed
Statistical law to be kept up to date
More agile, proactive and user oriented approach needed
Rebalance data sources and confidentiality issues needed

19. Thank you for your attention!

20. Quality in statistics = function of
Mathematical
Methodology (Procedures, processes)
Conceptual
Institutional Reg 223/ Code of Practice (CoP)
Contextual Commitment on Confidence (CoC)
Compliance measured via Peer Review exercise

21. Efficient use of data sources and new methodologies
surveys
registers
Mixed sources '
Administrative data
'Big data'

22. Maintain a well organised global system
The effect of the SDG's ?
Increase of maturity in the system, national and international
Change of position and responsibilities of organisation

23. Global statistical system
Before
Sectoral statistics
Global statistical system
Member States

24. After The effect of the SDG's ?
Increase of the maturity in the system, on national and international level
Change of position and responsibilities of institutions

25. Global statistical system
After
Member States
Sectoral statistics
Global statistical system

26. Quality in statistics: levels
Conceptual
Methodological
Mathematical
Institutional
Contextual