1. Member States' starting points for modernisation: results of a survey
Jean-Louis Mercy

2. The “survey” Initiated at the 1st TF meeting
Objective: to know better the situation of MS on several dimensions of the “target infrastructure”
Launched in July 2010
4 blocks of questions
Prerequisites for accessing registers and administrative data
Actual use of administrative data
Innovations in the statistical processes
Improvement work and need for support
28 answers (23 MS)

3. Prerequisites the existence of an exhaustive list of population
access granted by law to registers
access granted by law to administrative sources
law allowing for building register
law allowing keeping copies of individual microdata
law allowing data linking
existence (and possibility to use) of a (system of) common PIN (personal identification number).

4. Main results All the prerequisites are implemented in 10+4 countries
Nearly all in 3+2 countries
4 countries are on the right track
6 MS experience (severe) difficulties
Heavy legal and administrative procedures, often on a case by case basis.
PIN is the most difficult prerequisite

5. Current access
Sampling frame: population registers (15), living place (5), Census based (9)
Most access to tax register(18), population records (16), social security (14), education registers (11), unemployment (7) and many other national sources

7. Statistical processes
Adaptation of administrative sources (19)
Data linking (19)
CAWI (19), but often in test
Data warehouses (16)
Data matching (10)
Electronic sources (very rare)

8. Improvement work and need for support
MS offer support on use, adaptation and linking of administrative sources
They are (very) active in developing new features in line with the target:
Use of administrative sources, including linking and matching
Warehouse approach developments, that includes metadata management, sometimes even metadata driven approaches and more integrated IT solutions.
Strong interest for mixed mode approaches, that include CAWI
Harmonisation of variables, even beyond the core variables project.
Better integration of surveys
EU recommendations (regulation) on access to administrative source
High demand for exchanges of experiences and good practices (Mixed mode, use and adaption of adm, linking, matching and quality, estimation)
Funding demanded (incl. training)