European statistics code of practise
FOR THE NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY STATISTICAL AUTHORITIES
ADOPTED BY THE STATISTICAL PROGRAMME COMMITTEE ON 24 FEBRUARY 2005 AND PROMULGATED IN THE COMMISSION
RECOMMENDATION OF 25 MAY 2005 ON THE INDEPENDENCE, INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY STATISTICAL AUTHORITIES
The European Statistics Code of Practice is based on 15 principles. Governance authorities and
statistical authorities in the European Union commit themselves to adhering to the principles
fixed in this code covering the institutional environment, statistical processes and outputs.
A set of indicators of good practice for each of the 15 principles provides a reference for
reviewing the implementation of the Code.
Institutional environment
Institutional and organisational factors have a significant influence on the effectiveness and
credibility of a statistical authority producing and disseminating European statistics. The
relevant issues are professional independence, mandate for data collection, adequacy of
resources, quality commitment, statistical confidentiality, impartiality and objectivity.
PRINCIPLE 1: PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE
The professional independence of statistical authorities from other policy,
regulatory or administrative departments and bodies, as well as from privatesector
operators, ensures the credibility of European statistics.
Indicators:
- The independence of the statistical authority from political and other external interference in
producing and disseminating official statistics is specified in law.
- The head of the statistical authority has sufficiently high hierarchical standing to ensure
senior-level access to policy authorities and administrative public bodies. He/she should be of
the highest professional calibre.
- The head of the statistical authority and, where appropriate, the heads of its statistical bodies
have responsibility for ensuring that European statistics are produced and disseminated in an
independent manner.
- The head of the statistical authority and, where appropriate, the heads of its statistical bodies
have the sole responsibility for deciding on statistical methods, standards and procedures,
and on the content and timing of statistical releases.
- The statistical work programmes are published, and periodic reports describe progress made.
- Statistical releases are clearly distinguished and issued separately from political/policy
statements.
- The statistical authority, when appropriate, comments publicly on statistical issues, including
criticisms and misuses of official statistics.
PRINCIPLE 2: MANDATE FOR DATA COLLECTION
Statistical authorities must have a clear legal mandate to collect information for
European statistical purposes. Administrations, enterprises and households, and
the public at large may be compelled by law to allow access to or deliver data for
European statistical purposes at the request of statistical authorities.
Indicators:
- The mandate to collect information for the production and dissemination of official statistics
is specified in law.
- The statistical authority is allowed by national legislation to use administrative records for
statistical purposes.
- On the basis of a legal act, the statistical authority may compel response to statistical surveys.
PRINCIPLE 3: ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES
The resources available to statistical authorities must be sufficient to meet
European statistics requirements.
Indicators:
- Staff, financial, and computing resources, adequate both in magnitude and in quality, are
available to meet current European statistics needs.
- The scope, detail and cost of European statistics are commensurate with needs.
- Procedures exist to assess and justify demands for new European statistics against their cost.
- Procedures exist to assess the continuing need for all European statistics, to see if any can be
discontinued or curtailed to free up resources.
PRINCIPLE 4: QUALITY COMMITMENT
All ESS members commit themselves to work and cooperate according to the
principles fixed in the ‘Quality declaration of the European statistical system’.
Indicators:
- Product quality is regularly monitored according to the ESS quality components.
- Processes are in place to monitor the quality of the collection, processing and dissemination
of statistics.
- Processes are in place to deal with quality considerations, including trade-offs within quality,
and to guide planning for existing and emerging surveys.
- Quality guidelines are documented and staff are well trained. These guidelines are spelled
out in writing and made known to the public.
- There is a regular and thorough review of the key statistical outputs using external experts
where appropriate.
PRINCIPLE 5: STATISTICAL CONFIDENTIALITY
The privacy of data providers (households, enterprises, administrations and other
respondents), the confidentiality of the information they provide and its use only for
statistical purposes must be absolutely guaranteed.
Indicators:
- Statistical confidentiality is guaranteed in law.
- Statistical authority staff sign legal confidentiality commitments on appointment.
- Substantial penalties are prescribed for any wilful breaches of statistical confidentiality.
- Instructions and guidelines are provided on the protection of statistical confidentiality in the
production and dissemination processes. These guidelines are spelled out in writing and
made known to the public.
- Physical and technological provisions are in place to protect the security and integrity of
statistical databases.
- Strict protocols apply to external users accessing statistical microdata for research purposes.
PRINCIPLE 6: IMPARTIALITY AND OBJECTIVITY
Statistical authorities must produce and disseminate European statistics
respecting scientific independence and in an objective, professional and
transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably.
Indicators:
- Statistics are compiled on an objective basis determined by statistical considerations.
- Choices of sources and statistical techniques are informed by statistical considerations.
- Errors discovered in published statistics are corrected at the earliest possible date and
publicised.
- Information on the methods and procedures used by the statistical authority are publicly
available.
- Statistical release dates and times are pre-announced.
- All users have equal access to statistical releases at the same time and any privileged prerelease
access to any outside user is limited, controlled and publicised. In the event that
leaks occur, pre-release arrangements should be revised so as to ensure impartiality.
- Statistical releases and statements made in press conferences are objective and non-partisan.
Statistical processes
European and other international standards, guidelines and good practices must be fully
observed in the processes used by the statistical authorities to organise, collect, process and
disseminate official statistics. The credibility of the statistics is enhanced by a reputation for
good management and efficiency. The relevant aspects are sound methodology, appropriate
statistical procedures, non-excessive burden on respondents and cost effectiveness.
PRINCIPLE 7: SOUND METHODOLOGY
Sound methodology must underpin quality statistics. This requires adequate
tools, procedures and expertise.
Indicators:
- The overall methodological framework of the statistical authority follows European and
other international standards, guidelines and good practices.
- Procedures are in place to ensure that standard concepts, definitions and classifications are
consistently applied throughout the statistical authority.
- The business register and the frame for population surveys are regularly evaluated and
adjusted if necessary in order to ensure high quality.
- Detailed concordance exists between national classifications and sectorisation systems and
the corresponding European systems.
- Graduates in the relevant academic disciplines are recruited.
- Staff attend international relevant training courses and conferences, and liaise with
statistician colleagues at international level in order to learn from the best and to improve
their expertise.
- Cooperation with the scientific community to improve methodology is organised and
external reviews assess the quality and effectiveness of the methods implemented and
promote better tools, when feasible.
PRINCIPLE 8: APPROPRIATE STATISTICAL PROCEDURES
Appropriate statistical procedures, implemented from data collection to data
validation, must underpin quality statistics.
Indicators:
- Where European statistics are based on administrative data, the definitions and concepts
used for the administrative purpose must be a good approximation to those required for
statistical purposes.
- In the case of statistical surveys, questionnaires are systematically tested prior to the data collection.
- Survey designs, sample selections, and sample weights are well based and regularly
reviewed, revised or updated as required.
- Field operations, data entry, and coding are routinely monitored and revised as required.
- Appropriate editing and imputation computer systems are used and regularly reviewed,
revised or updated as required.
- Revisions follow standard, well-established and transparent procedures.
PRINCIPLE 9: NON-EXCESSIVE BURDEN ON RESPONDENTS
The reporting burden should be proportionate to the needs of the users and
should not be excessive for respondents. The statistical authority monitors the
response burden and sets targets for its reduction over time.
Indicators:
- The range and detail of European statistics demands is limited to what is absolutely necessary.
- The reporting burden is spread as widely as possible over survey populations through
appropriate sampling techniques.
- The information sought from businesses is, as far as possible, readily available from their
accounts and electronic means are used where possible to facilitate its return.
- Best estimates and approximations are accepted when exact details are not readily available.
- Administrative sources are used whenever possible to avoid duplicating requests for information.
- Data sharing within statistical authorities is generalised in order to avoid multiplication of surveys.
PRINCIPLE 10: COST EFFECTIVENESS
Resources must be effectively used.
Indicators:
- Internal and independent external measures monitor the statistical authority’s use of
resources.
- Routine clerical operations (e.g. data capture, coding and validation) are automated to
the extent possible.
- The productivity potential of information and communications technology is being
optimised for data collection, processing and dissemination.
- Proactive efforts are being made to improve the statistical potential of administrative
records and avoid costly direct surveys.
Statistical output
Available statistics must meet users’ needs. Statistics comply with European quality
standards and serve the needs of European institutions, governments, research institutions,
business concerns and the public generally. The important issues concern the extent to
which the statistics are relevant, accurate and reliable, timely, coherent, comparable across
regions and countries, and readily accessible by users.
PRINCIPLE 11: RELEVANCE
European statistics must meet the needs of users.
Indicators:
- Processes are in place to consult users, monitor the relevance and practical utility of
existing statistics in meeting their needs, and advise on their emerging needs and
priorities.
- Priority needs are being met and reflected in the work programme.
- User satisfaction surveys are undertaken periodically.
PRINCIPLE 12: ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY
European statistics must accurately and reliably portray reality.
Indicators:
- Source data, intermediate results and statistical outputs are assessed and validated.
- Sampling errors and non-sampling errors are measured and systematically documented
according to the framework of the ESS quality components.
- Studies and analyses of revisions are carried out routinely and used internally to inform
statistical processes.
PRINCIPLE 13: TIMELINESS AND PUNCTUALITY
European statistics must be disseminated in a timely and punctual manner.
Indicators:
- Timeliness meets the highest European and international dissemination standards.
- A standard daily time is set for the release of European statistics.
- Periodicity of European statistics takes into account user requirements as much as
possible.
- Any divergence from the dissemination time schedule is publicised in advance, explained
and a new release date set.
- Preliminary results of acceptable aggregate quality can be disseminated when
considered useful.
PRINCIPLE 14: COHERENCE AND COMPARABILITY
European statistics should be consistent internally, over time and comparable
between regions and countries; it should be possible to combine and make joint
use of related data from different sources.
Indicators:
- Statistics are internally coherent and consistent (e.g. arithmetic and accounting identities
observed).
- Statistics are coherent or reconcilable over a reasonable period of time.
- Statistics are compiled on the basis of common standards with respect to scope,
definitions, units and classifications in the different surveys and sources.
- Statistics from the different surveys and sources are compared and reconciled.
- Cross-national comparability of the data is ensured through periodical exchanges between
the European statistical system and other statistical systems; methodological studies are
carried out in close cooperation between the Member States and Eurostat.
PRINCIPLE 15: ACCESSIBILITY AND CLARITY
European statistics should be presented in a clear and understandable form,
disseminated in a suitable and convenient manner, available and accessible on
an impartial basis with supporting metadata and guidance.
Indicators:
- Statistics are presented in a form that facilitates proper interpretation and meaningful
comparisons.
- Dissemination services use modern information and communication technology and, if
appropriate, traditional hard copy.
- Custom-designed analyses are provided when feasible and are made public.
- Access to microdata can be allowed for research purposes. This access is subject to strict
protocols.
- Metadata are documented according to standardised metadata systems.
- Users are kept informed on the methodology of statistical processes and the quality of
statistical outputs with respect to the ESS quality criteria.
DEFINITIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT:
‘European statistics’ shall mean Community statistics as defined in Council Regulation (EC)
No 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on Community statistics, produced and disseminated by
national statistical authorities and the Community’s statistical authority (Eurostat) in
conformity with Article 285(2) of the Treaty.
The ‘statistical authority’ shall mean, at national level, the national statistical institute
(NSI) and other statistical bodies in charge of producing and disseminating
European statistics and, at Community level, Eurostat.
The ‘European statistical system’, hereinafter referred to as ‘the ESS’,
shall mean the partnership comprising Eurostat, national statistical
institutes and other national statistical bodies responsible in
each Member State for producing and disseminating
European statistics.
Reference documents