Developments in European Statistics

1. Developments in European Statistics Challenges in Official Statistics Visit to NSO Romania 15-16 July 2009 Walter Radermacher, Chief Statistician of the European Union, Director General Eurostat

2. European Statistics • European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in the early 1950s: The harmonisation of methods was the foundation of European statistics • Rome Treaty on the European Economic Community (EEC) marked the birth of European legislation on statistics, for which the basis is laid in Art. 213 (subsequently Art. 284) => “Gentlemen's agreements“ • Since the 1990s, European policies directly based on statistics (e.g. convergence criteria of the Maastricht Treaty ) • The NSIs collect and produce harmonised data that are compiled by Eurostat to construct statistics at EU level. The approach continued to be "augmented": the European level was added to the national level Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

3. European Statistical System ESS • Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European Statistics • Strengthens the cooperation in the ESS, in particular • cost-effectiveness-principle (Art. 2 (f)), • the European Statistical System Committee (Art. 7), • collaborative networks (Art. 15.), and a • European approach to statistics (Art. 16). • Generally, a next phase for official statistics in Europe has been initiated, in which the intentions of the law, namely to put in place a real "system" that makes use of cooperation and standardisation as far as possible while respecting the subsidiarity principle have to be realised. Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

4. Elements of the ESS • ESS Committee (ESSC) • European Statistical Advisory Committee (ESAC) • European Statistical Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB) • Partnership Group • Directors Groups • Comitolgy and advisory committees • ESSnets • Sponsorships • DGINS and other conferences Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

5. Organisational structure of the ESS ESSC Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

6. Situation of Statistical Offices • Need to reduce costs and increase efficiency • Increasing demands for statistical products and reduction of respondent’s burden • Improvements in quality are needed • Emerging user needs • Progress in information technology Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

7. Starting points for a solution: Efficiency!! • Standardisation of processes (CVD-approach) • Re-use of available data (administrative sources, online link to business accounting and other instruments of eGovernment, …) • Common infrastructure (registers, meta-data, geo-spatial information) • Meta-data driven architecture • Collaborative networks, common tools and knowledge sharing • Decentralised centralisation of production in shared webs • … Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

8. Reengineering of statistical production 1:1 Stovepipes Multiple Source Mix Mode Macrodata Survey Table Survey Data Ware-houses Access Survey Table Register Survey Survey Table Microdata Register Survey Table Survey Mesodata Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

9. The new architecture: a vision Input Processes Output Sample Selection ERP System Communication Entry Processing Analysis Primary surveys Administrative data repository Business register Meta-data GIS External registers External registers Infrastructure Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

10. European systems method of statistics • An integrated model for statistics in Europe: • horizontal integration across statistical domains at the level of NSIs and Eurostat, • and vertical integration covering both the national and EU levels. • Improving efficiency by elimination of unnecessary variation and duplication of work • Creation of free capacities for upcoming information needs Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

11. Change in the professional paradigm • From "data-collectors" to "re-users of data" • Risks • concepts and definitions may be changed by the owners of the data • data collections could be discontinued or altered • a loss of control (at least in the perception of statisticians) • higher complexity • Reallocation of R&D in statistics needed Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

12. Technical and methodological challenges • Standardisation and integration of formerly separated production processes will demand great efforts and an effective change management. • Stepwise approach and with intensive collaboration • Quality assessment + assurance of statistics will become much more complex • The legitimate interest of statistics, i.e. the position vis-à-vis the owners of re-used data (administrators, regulators or others) has to be reconsidered and strengthened Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

13. New ways of communicating with users • The more statistical production is based on complex methodology the more it is necessary to explain the results. • Trust in the statistical system and the perception of the quality of statistical information are closely related. • „Official“ has to become a quality stamp that users can assess against predefined quality guidelines • A basic education in simple statistical elements could help to mitigate a tendency of misunderstanding with the general public (“innumeracy”). • As a consequence, user orientation has to be the guiding principle in communication. Walter Radermacher, Eurostat