Point 9 - The coordination of the National Statistical System in Serbia

1. Point 9 - The coordination of the National Statistical System in Serbia PGSC 2015 Kotor, Montenegro, 15-16 October

2. General The official statistics, as a system, is aimed at providing a minimum of quantitative indicators expressed and based on the common methodology, definitions, classifications and organisation of statistical surveys agreed upon by the stakeholders, which have been carried out using the common statistical survey program and plan. In terms of its contents, this system has been shaped using specific statistical surveys (defined in statistical survey programs and plans) conducted by authorised official statistics. When defining officialstatistical system, the proposing parties are principally guided by general requirements of the majority of users; general, economic, social or other interests; international recommendations; requirements and methodologies adopted by international statistics authorities and availableresources required for the implementation of the statistical surveys. Coordinator of the whole process is Statistiacal Office of the Republic of Serbia

3. General main characteristics of Statistical System • The Statistical System of Serbia is rather decentralized – up to 20 authorised producers ofofficial statistical • Many of authorised producersare only responsible for minor parts of the Statistical Programme • According to the Light Peer Review report (2011) SORS is recognised as the coordinator of the Statistical System by the other producers of official statistics.

4. Aspects of coordination Coordination role of the Statistical Office of the Rebublic of Serbia (SORS) willbe presented through following aspects: • Institutional framework • Planning and Programming of statistical activities • Communication • Training • Standardisation of production processes • Release of data

5. I - Institutional framework – Legal acts Program and Plan of Official statistics The Program includes: - Development strategy for official statistics to be applied for five-year period; - List of the expected results of official statistics by areas, data on period oftheir release and level of harmonization with international standards; - Review of the most important infrastructure and development activities; • Official producer of certain statistics; • Information on expected problems. The annual Plans contains: - Detailed elaboration of the Program; - List of statistical surveys that shall be conducted; - List of administrative sources and list of data obtained by observation method that are used in official statistics; - Development activities defined in the Program.

6. I - Institutional framework – Legal acts Basic legal acts: • Law onOfficial Statistics • Program of Official Statistics 2011 – 2015,Program 2016 – 2020 (adopted by Parliament) • Annual implementation plans (adopted by Government)

7. I - Institutional framework - Legal acts Other legal acts (adopted by Parliament): • Law on Central Bank of Serbia • Law on Foreign Exchange Operations • Law on the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings, 2011 • Law on the Census of Agriculture 2012 • Law on the Classification of Activities Other legal acts (adopted by Government): • Regulation on the Classification of Activities • Agricultural statistics development strategy for the Republic of Serbia, 2014– 2018 • Regulation on the Nomenclature of Statistical Teritorial Units

8. I - Institutional framework – International acts Main International Acts: • Fundamental Principles (UN) • Code of Practice (CoP) • Statistical acquis

9. I - Institutional framework – MoUs Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) To improve statistical production and cooperation, SORS signed MoU-s or protocols with most important statistical data providers: • National Bank of Serbia, • Ministry of Finance, • Ministry of Agriculture, • Tax Office, • Customs Office, • Ministry of Health, • Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, • Ministry of Interior • ...

10. I - Institutional framework - advisory bodies • Statistical Council (defined in the Statistical Law) enables a more direct involvement of an increased number of different end users and their participation in creating the contents of the official statistics system; • Statistical Council, as the integral part of the official statistics system represents a professional advisory body primarily dealing with strategic issues, or in particular, reviewing the opinion with regard to: official statistics development strategy; drafting of a five-year program and annual implementing plans; requirement for carrying out of censuses; standards; methodologies and other; • Five- year Programme is discussed in meetings of the Statistical Society of Serbia so that active members of the Society are involved in the planning process.

11. I - Institutional framework - Continuous activities • Eurostat: • Permanent contacts and consultations with Eurostat, • Annual self assessment through SMIS, as the basis for further harmonisation with acquis, • Realising activities from the Action Plan prepared with Light Peer Review Team, and regular reporting to Eurostat • Coordination of the donors’ support: • IPA MB, IPA National, Sida projects…

12. I - Institutional framework – budget and HR • As the coordinator of the official statistical system SORS does not have dedicated budget to implement the coordination role • Human resources for ensuring effective coordination across the national statistical system are not sufficient at the moment, and in the last several reports of the European Commission on annual progress of Serbia there are clear indications that the SORS human capacities should be upgraded

13. II - Planning and Programming According to the current Law on Official Statitics (Art.7), the SORS is the main producer and disseminator of official statistics, as well as the authorised professional agent, organiser and coordinator of the system of official statistics of the Republic of Serbia and it represents the Serbian official statistics in the international statistical system. Thus, SORS has a strong role in the process of planning statistical activities. It is by law the institution which drafts the strategy, the five-year Statistical Programme and the annual work plan, in consultation with the other authorized producers of official statistics, proprietors of other data and users.

14. II - Planning and Programming • Internal: • Officially SORS doesn'thave a specific unit responsible for coordinating and planning the production of national statistical system but these activities are incorporated in a work of public relation and disemination department. • SORS’ Board of directors approves the draft of the five-year programme or annual implementation plans • External: • Prepared drafts are given for analysing and consideration to: • Proposed producers and users of official statistics; • Statistical Council • Statistical society • Relevant ministries and • Public discussion

15. II - Planning and Programming • Coordination of planning and prioritisation is implemented on the basis of: • Continuation of existing five-year programme • European statistical acquis and recommendations • Suggestions from the SORS’ working groups • Results from User satisfaction surveys and • Suggestions collected through web-site, mail etc. • There is a report on the realisation of annual implementation plan

16. III - Communication Communication between the SORS and the principal producers and/or users of official statistics is: • Formal with National Bank trough expert working groups; • Not formal with Ministry of Finance, Ministry for Agriculture, Institute for Health and other producers of the official statistics... also through expert groups • Not formal but quite often with users of the official statistics • Consultations through negotiation process within CH 18 and other chapter related to statistics (16 of them)

17. IV - Trainng • SORS has a long tradition in coordination of official statistics but does not have in its organisation the unit that it would be responsable for statistical training in this field. • Main experience comes from the Technical Assisstance mainy from donnor support: IPA Programmes, Sida projects and also from international guidelines connected to the Code of Practice. • AWEARNESS ON THIS ISSUE INCREASES WITH THE PROGRES IN ACCESSION PROCESS

18. V - Standardisation of production processes • Permanent working groups (WG) are formed with aim to improve the quality not only in the SORS but in the whole statistical system, such as: • WG for data basis and classifications with the task to follow work on harmonisation in use of different classifications and nomenclatures; • WG for improvement relations with important data providers with the task to minimise their response burden; • WG for data collection from administrative sources and development using modern ways of data collection (web, electronic questionnaires, e-government); • WG for improvement of registers. • These WGs are coordinated bythe SORS and through various kind of agreements. All WGs are presenting reports regularly.

19. VI- Release of data SORS has a coordinating unit that prepares and monitors the pre-announced calendar, its publicity and itscompliance; There are mechanisms in place for the monitoring and assessment of the compliance with thepre-announced calendar; Reporting is done on the monthly basis

20. Conclusions and plans The role of main coordinator of the official statistics system should be permanently further strengthen. The prerequisite for the Respectable national statstics, is the existence of a good quality and well organised statistical system led by the independent statistical institution with clearly defined role of coordinator and national representative in the European Union Therefore, the present Official Statistics Law needs to be upgraded, especially in the part relative to the position, status and role of the Statistical Office of Serbia as the holder and the principal coordinator among other producers of official statistics.