1. Timeliness of social statistics on inequality and poverty
Luxembourg 4-5 March 2013
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

2. The needs Monitoring of social policy – Europe 2020
Five years of crisis: even more acute
The social impact has political consequences
Social dimension of the EMU
But, poverty and income distribution data are not up-to-date, while they are timely for growth trade, debt and deficit, etc.

3. Policy request
EPSCO Council, 2010 "invites the Commission to support, in collaboration with the Member States, the timely availability of valid indicators to monitor the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy".
ECOFIN Council, 2012 called “upon Eurostat and the Member States to draw up an action plan to significantly improve the timeliness of statistics on inequality, poverty, income and social exclusion in the context of Europe 2020”.
The Commission (social investment package), 2013: “will underpin this together with the European Statistical System through improved and timelier statistics on poverty and outcomes of social and health policies”.
The DSS, 2012: “The ESS is challenged. The topic is difficult, but the policy emergency is there. Globally, the DSS agreed that an answer should be given and that this is a priority but that this answer is not easy. Priority setting is needed. Eurostat will reflect on the next steps and will perhaps propose the creation of a task force.”
The high level Stakeholder meeting, 2013: “The representatives from National statistical Institutes recognised the importance of this issue and agreed on the need to move forward”.

4. Principles of an action plan
Systemic answer from the social statistics system
Improved use of modern technology and tools, incl. modeling
Process re-design
In the context of modernisation of social statistics

5. Key areas Evolution of income distribution
Who is impacted ? Who benefits ?
Evolution of living conditions
Deprivation, assessment
Coping strategies
Impact of financial stress

6. Actions for the ESS : LFS
Annual income distribution evolution:
6 months after the reference period
LFS annual
Monthly income
Methodological studies needed and on-going
Infra annual data on income distribution
If possible
LFS quarterly

7. Actions for the ESS: EU-SILC
Improve by 6 months the availability of all data
June N+1
Production process
Trade off when using registers (partial registers)
Deliver at the end of year N the data collected through questionnaire
Deprivation, assessment
Methodological questions on weights
Process re-design

8. Action for the ESS: other
Implementation of a module on strategies to cope with a financial stress
Short module, based on existing work
Delivery 6 months after field work
No prescription of an instrument

9. Actions outside the ESS
Micro-simulation models (EUROMOD)
EU-SILC data
Initially: impact of fiscal and social policies
Now, in addition : impact of economic conditions (employment) on poverty and inequalities
Requires several data from SILC and national disaggregation of social protection and fiscal data
Use of alternative sources
Consumer surveys
Beneficiaries

10. Next steps DSS – March 2013 SILC working group and LAMAS, spring 2013
DSS October 2013
ESSC Autumn 2013, for decision
Pilot launched for SILC early delivery
Methodological studies
Financial support from DG EMPL

11. The DSS are invited
To comment
To advise
To endorse and commit