1. MANAGEMENT GROUP FOR STATISTICAL COOPERATION ‘Panel for Statistics for the ENP-East countries' Luxembourg March : New and Future Programmes Jolanta Szczerbinska Eurostat

2. Contents:
The Strategy for Statistical Cooperation in the ENP-East region
The Eastern Partnership - Background
The Statistics Panel and its ToRs
The Targets
Summing up

3. The Strategy for Statistical Cooperation in the ENP-East region 2014-2020
The Strategy was developed and finalised in 2013
To describe objectives + results for a regional cooperation programme
To obtain funding from the ENI for its implementation
Financial assistance for the European Neighbourhood limited to 3 priority sectors per country + regional programmes
Preferred option for EuropeAid – add a statistics component to a policy programme (environment=SEIS, energy=INOGATE)
Pre-condition for a regional statistics programme: proven political willingness to work together + serving policy needs
No regional programme now

4. The Eastern Partnership - Background
Framework for regional cooperation : launched in 2009
Joint initiative EU+MS+6 eastern European partner countries
Regional dimension and national dimension (AA and DCFTA)
Set-up of 4 platforms + panels under each platform
1. Democracy, good governance and stability,
2. Economic integration and convergence with EU sectoral policies,
3. Energy security, and
4. Contacts between people
Platforms – for senior officials from MS and partner countries

5. The Statistics Panel and its TORs
A Statistics Panel under Platform 2 (other examples SME, transport, environment and climate change)
Eurostat chairs the Statistics Panel
Panel activities based on the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Strategy for Statistical Cooperation in the ENP-East Region
Objectives as specified in the Strategy
Meetings at the level of experts with other stakeholders and civil society representatives

6. The Targets Based on the objectives of the strategy
Good knowledge of the EU acquis in statistics in the countries concerned
Availability of timely, comparable and good quality data relevant for AA/DCFTA and the ENI Regional East strategy
National statistical services applying the European Statistics Code of Practice at all stages of data production and dissemination
NSSs coordinating the national statistical systems
Improved services to users

7. Summing up
The proposal, ToRs and WP were discussed and approved at the 2014 HLS with the ENP East countries
Platform 2 meeting of MS in Nov – strong support from the MS, ENP-East and Commission services
The first Panel meeting on business statistics: May 2015 in Minsk, Belarus
The second Panel meeting on labour force statistics:
October 2015 in Tbilisi, Georgia
Support needs to be organised to help countries to implement the acquis, also in financial terms

8. Thank you for your attention!