ESTP course on International Trade in Goods Statistics 2-6 February 2015 10. Quality

Outline Data quality: framework, stakeholders and definition Quality indicators and targets Quality reporting and assessment Quality actions Out of scope: Validation of Doc MET 400 data files and related error reports

Data quality - Framework European statistics Code of Practice Commitment of ESS members in data quality 15 principles covering the institutional environment, the statistical production and output European Statistical Law (EC 223/2009) European statistics to meet quality criteria Member States to provide quality reports Eurostat to assess the data quality and publish reports Intrastat and Extrastat legislations  ITGS compilers bound by specific quality requirements

Data quality - Stakeholders Member States' role: To provide Eurostat with statistics complying with quality criteria: a legal obligation laid down by the European Statistical Law and the ITGS legislation Eurostat's mission and role: To be the leading provider of high quality statistics on Europe (acting as the EU Statistical Office) To ensure that transmitted statistics comply with the EU legislation (acting as the European Commission)

Data quality - Definition A larger scope than the intuitive one Not only accurate data Quality criteria to be met listed in EU legal acts European Statistical Law Intrastat and Extrastat legislations

Quality indicators and targets Quantitative vs qualitative indicators Quantitative indicators to answer questions about things that are inherently expressed in numbers: How many? How often? How much? Qualitative indicators to demonstrate, describe or measure that something has happened: How? When? Who? Where? Which? What? Why? Hard, soft and aspirational targets Hard targets: targets corresponding to legal requirements Soft targets: targets agreed with Member States and included in the methodological guidelines Aspirational targets: probably unattainable targets but an ideal towards which Member States should aim

Quality reporting A legal obligation 28 national quality reports  European statistical law & Intrastat/Extrastat legislations 28 national quality reports Standard structures and contents (ESQRS) Quality indicators agreed with the MSs (ITGS Steering Group) Communication restricted to Eurostat (no publication) Metadata to users User Guide on European ITGS Quality report on European ITGS Documentation linked to data dissemination (ESMS)

Link between quality and compliance Quality targets fixed by the legislation  Target not reached = issue of non-compliance with a specific article In fine, any quality issue is an issue of non- compliance with the EU legislation as data provided to Eurostat shall be reliable.

Quality assessment A legal obligation Individual detailed assessment  European statistical law & Intrastat/Extrastat legislations Individual detailed assessment All quality criteria covered All quality targets assessed Clarifications or actions requested if necessary Overall assessment Metadata for users BSDG compliance report (P/N/G/VG) Eurostat compliance exercise

Actions – Reacting to quality issues Eurostat To choose the communication channel: between a simple message to the Court of Justice To ask for national actions: between the correction of one single record to deep changes in data collection or compilation Member States To carry out the necessary actions To ensure that the same issue cannot pop up again Administrative letter Formal notice letter EU PILOT

Further actions Cooperation with Member States through working groups or task forces Development of guidelines Elaboration of recommendations and encouragements to promote best practices Specific actions on intra-EU asymmetries Annual reconciliation round Bilateral reconciliation exercises

Conclusions Quality reporting and assessment - A tool to better meet users' needs and expectations Quality management – Not only the detection and correction of erroneous observations but also any necessary measures impacting the whole statistical process Recommendations for Member States Quality measures in all parts of the statistical process (the sooner, the better) Regular reporting to users and stakeholders (transparency principle) Meet quality legal requirement and react to issues communicated by Eurostat

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. Anne BERTHOMIEU Eurostat – Unit G5 Anne THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION ! Anne BERTHOMIEU Eurostat – Unit G5 Anne.Berthomieu-Cristallo@ec.europa.eu +352 4301 33616