4th RDG meeting Luxembourg 15-16.12.2015 Second round of ESS Peer reviews 4th RDG meeting Luxembourg 15-16.12.2015

All country reports and improvement action plans available at: State of play All country reports and improvement action plans available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/quality/peer-reviews Last meeting of the ESS Task Force Peer Reviews 11 November 2015 Reports to: the European Parliament and the Council the ESSC The aim of this second round of peer reviews differed from the first in that it was presumed much progress had been made since the first peer reviews in 2006-2008, and that therefore the peer reviewers would focus on areas where compliance had not yet been achieved or where it was incomplete. Following this approach the exercise resulted in 707 recommendations. 65 of these concern achieving compliance with the Code, and 642 call for improving or enhancing compliance. All in all 39 divergent views were presented by the NSIs/Eurostat. It emerged from the peer review reports that the on the whole the level of compliance is high, but that some challenges remain in achieving compliance and that concrete, practical implementation could be enhanced in many instances. The three main areas where compliance is lacking or needs to enhanced are governance and legal aspects; impartiality and dissemination; and quality. With regard to governance lack of statutory provisions concerning the appointment and dismissal of the heads of statistical authorities was highlighted in particular. For the other two areas the picture was more varied. This being said, the reports also highlights the achievements of the ESS, and concludes that on the whole the ESS is underscored by a strong legal structure, and enjoys a high level of trust. Other strengths that are highlighted are the highly trained, motivated and dedicated staff, and progress made in quality and methodology, burden reduction and impartiality.

707 recommendations - 65 on achieving and 642 on improving compliance Commission report on the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice and coordination within the European Statistical System 707 recommendations - 65 on achieving and 642 on improving compliance 39 divergent views compliance high - but some challenges in achieving compliance and implementation should be improved Three main areas for further work: governance and legal aspects impartiality and dissemination quality

Strengths of the ESS On the whole underpinned by a strong legal structure, and inspires a high level of trust Highly trained, motivated and dedicated staff Advances made in: quality and methodology burden reduction impartiality.

Resources Adequacy of human and financial resources a major issues Lack of resources poses a serious risk for the future of the ESS Message: Securing adequate resources and having flexibility in their use is of the utmost importance for safeguarding the quality of European statistics.

Report on cooperation and integration within the ESS An overview of self-assessment questionnaires and peer reviewers' findings Structured around: Strategy Design Process chain management Process chain implementation Conclusion: Further integration in the production of European statistics would be necessary to better respond to the many challenges facing the ESS and its members

Exercise smooth overall An opportunity for self-reflection Lessons learnt Exercise smooth overall An opportunity for self-reflection Driver for change and improvements BUT Demanding – resources and time SAQ too long, too many documents ….  Cost-efficiency: Does the outcome justify the investment – in resources, effort and time?

Lessons learnt workshop 16/03/2015 in Brussels Next steps Lessons learnt workshop 16/03/2015 in Brussels National coordinators ESS Task Force Peer Reviews Peer review team chairs Contractor Eurostat conclusions on the exercise and recommendations for potential CoP monitoring exercises Session on peer reviews at the 2016 Quality Conference in Madrid

Monitoring improvement actions Similar to the previous round Annual monitoring, 1st round for NSIs launched in March 2016 covering progress since the publication of an IA plan From 2017 launch in January for reporting period until end of the preceding year Template similar to the previous one, with some minor adaptations

Thank you for your attention For any questions please contact us at: ESTAT-ESS-PEER-REVIEWS@ec.europa.eu