Eurostat and Global Assessments: Context, Approaches, Tools

1. 3.1 Eurostat and Global Assessments:Context, Approaches, Tools

2. Contents Assessments from the Eurostat’s point of view: • How do we define them? • What initiatives are we involved in? • What tools we use? Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

3. In the ESS, the culture – “tradition” – of assessments has long been established. Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

4. Assessment – Overview of the Process • Request for an assessment • Selection of and agreement on an assessor team • Joint preparation • Finalizing Assessment structure • Examining preparatory materials prepared by the Institute • 1 or 2 missions • In latter case, rough draft after 1st mission to be revised and finalised during 2nd mission • Agreeing on the final version of the draft – detailed revisions • Dissemination Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

5. Assessment – Structure • Structure – depends on the purpose and intended scope of assessment • Goal: to assess the institutional aspects of the national statistical system and its technical and organisational capacity to produce and disseminate official statistics in all relevant areas • Focal areas: • Legal basis • National statistical system • National statistical service • Statistical production in various domains Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

6. Assessment – Criteria • Goal: to assess the compliance with international standards, norms, and recommendations • Need to decide against which criteria the assessment will be conducted • United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics? • Eurostat Code of Practice? • EU acquis communautaire in statistics – Statistical Requirements Compendium? • IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework? • Others? Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

7. “What? Yet another assessment?” • Any assessment puts a considerable pressure on National Statistical Institute’s time and resources. • Potential ideas • Long-term planning for assessments, especially vis-à-vis country statistical programming and future assistance needs? • Using assessments by one organisation as a reference point for assessments by other organisations? • Any tools to make an assessment process less resource-intensive? • Focus on self-assessment as a potential tool to reduce preparation time, mission load, and resources and time required from the Institute? Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

8. How assessments can be helpful in the context of the relations with the European Union? (1) • Statistics is rapidly gaining importance in EU cooperation, negotiations, and assistance to both European Neighbourhood Partnership countries and Central Asia. • International and EU comparability • Quality • Transparency • Statistics usually emerges as one of the cornerstone issues in negotiations for closer cooperation. • Through statistics we measure progress in nearly all priority areas. Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

9. How assessments can be helpful in the context of the relations with the European Union? (2) Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

10. Eurostat external assessment approaches • Existing • Peer Reviews (PR) • In an advanced development/commencement stage • Light Peer Reviews (LPR) • Adapted Global Assessments (AGA) Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

11. Eurostat Peer Reviews • All EU National Statistical Institutes and Eurostat were subject to a peer review during 2006-2008. • Review established Institute’s compliance with the European Statistics Code of Practice. • The scope was limited to the areas related to the institutional environment and dissemination of statistics. • 3-day country mission of 3 reviewers (2 experts from National Statistical Institutes, 1 – from Eurostat). • Eurostat Code of Practice Self-Assessment questionnaire – central assessment basis. Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

12. Light peer reviews (LPRs) intended for countries with advanced statistical systems that are about to join the EU (candidate countries) precursors for standard ESS peer reviews Adapted global assessments (AGAs) adapted to the needs of countries with European perspective or with a stated intention to align their statistical systems to that of the EU Light Peer Reviews vs. Adapted Global Assessments Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

13. Light Peer Reviews • Candidate and potential candidate countries • One LPR country mission • Before the LPR mission • self-assessment (questionnaire based on the ESS-PR version) • specific training on LPR provided to the reviewed countries • Reviewers • 2 ESS peers • 1-2 observers from group of reviewed countries • 1 Eurostat representative • Report to include recommendations for improvement actions covering all principles of the European Code of Practice with a view to future assistance needs; will not include rankings Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

14. Adapted Global Assessments (1) • Could be requested by countries interested in deeper approximation with the EU statistical standards • Details adapted to the circumstances of the reviewed country and relevant EU policy framework regarding • scope of elements of traditional global assessment • degree of assessment of statistical areas against international standards and/or EU acquis • Sections on legislation, national statistical system, national statistical institute, and statistical domains • Can be repeated every 4-5 years Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

15. Adapted Global Assessments (2) • Before the AGA mission(s) • self-assessment (SMIS+ and/or questionnaire based on the ESS-PR version) • specific training on AGA provided to the reviewed countries • Reviewers • 2 ESS peers • 2 observers from the group of reviewed countries • 2 Eurostat representatives • Report to include recommendations for improvement actions with a view to future assistance needs; will not include rankings Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

16. Eurostat tools – focus on self-assessment (1) • Statistical Management Information System – SMIS+ • Web software tool used to monitor country compliance with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. • Focus - statistical domains. • Clearly defines the acquis and up-to-date Eurostat requirements • Predefined structure of statistical themes and modules with their legal basis and the required datasets on which Institutes submit information. • All countries can use the application, submit their information to Eurostat, have it reviewed, and use the generated Compliance Monitoring Reports for Institute’s needs. • It can be used as an exhaustive compilation of information on the statistical production by the Institute. Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

17. Eurostat tools – focus on self-assessment (2) • Eurostat Code of Practice Self-Assessment questionnaire • Extensive questionnaire that can be used to self-assess against all principles and indicators of the Code of Practice • Focus on legal and institutional environment, addresses user-relations • Can complement the SMIS+ to have an in-depth overview of both institutional issues and statistical domains • A few limitations: • not all questions are appropriate for all countries; therefore, the questionnaire may need to be revised accordingly • certain areas are not addressed in depth: national statistical system, statistical programming Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

18. Resources • European Statistics Code of Practice • http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/quality/documents/code_practice.pdf • Eurostat Peer Reviews • http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/quality/code_of_practice/peer_reviews • SMIS+ (requires registration on CIRCA) • https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/smis/login/index.cfm?TargetUrl=DSP_LOGIN&clear Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009

19. Thank You! Yalta Seminar on Global Assessments, 2009