Reflections on the UN Fundamental Principles based on EU experience

1
Reflections on the UN Fundamental Principles
based on EU experience

• UNSC High Level Forum
• New York, 21. Feb. 2011
• Walter Radermacher, Eurostat

2
Changes since the Fundamental Principles were
first adopted (1994)

• The role of statistics and statistical offices
  has evolved e.g. the coordination role involving
  different data providers
• Sources of official statistics have become more
  diverse, moving from statistical surveys to
  administrative data
• Increasing demand for professional independence
  and accountability in the field of official
  statistics

3
Preconditions for trust in Official Statistics
Integrity Principles
Quality Commitment ? Process Quality ? Output
Quality
Professional Independence
Impartiality and Objectivity
Confidentiality
Trust in Administrative Authorities
Trust in Official Statistics
4
EU Experience Self-regulation

• 2004 Concerns about government deficit and debt
  data led to demand for minimum standards in
  statistical authorities relating to
• 2005 European Statistics Code of Practice was
  published with standards for
• institutional independence/ integrity/
  accountability
• statistical processes
• statistical outputs
• Indicators of good practice to measure compliance
  with the Code

independence
integrity
accountability
5
EU Experience Legal instruments

• 2008 European Statistical Governance Advisory
  Board was established to oversee implementation
  of the Code of Practice
• 2009 new Statistical Law reinforced the
  statistical principles and the independence,
  integrity and accountability of statistical
  authorities
• 2010 new law provided audit powers to Eurostat
  in the context of government finance statistics
  (Excessive Deficit Procedure)
• 2010 November ECOFIN Council requested the
  reinforcement of professional independence in
  official statistics

6
Code of Practice / UN Fundamental Principles
UN Fundamental Principles 3
UN Fundamental Principles 5, 9, 10
UN Fundamental Principles 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 8
7
Evolution of the Quality Assurance in the ESS
Before the 2004 crisis Quality recommendations
ESS
NSI
NSI
Eurostat
NSI
NSI
8
Evolution of the Quality Assurance in the ESS
Government
After the 2004 crisis
ESS
NSI
NSI
Administrative data sources
Eurostat
NSI
NSI
CoP
9
Evolution of the Quality Assurance in the ESS
Government
After the 2009 crisis
ESS
NSI
NSI
Administrative data sources
Eurostat
NSI
NSI
CoP
10
Parameters for European Statistics

• Decision-making is increasingly evidence-based
• Greater demand for evidence
• More administrative data needed

Evidence-based decision-making
Stability and Growth Pact
EU 2020 Indicators
Economic Governance Package
11
New challenges identified for the ESS

• What is the appropriate degree of professional
  independence with regard to official statistics?
• EU law sometimes includes elements of statistical
  methods decided by the European Parliament and
  Council
• Statistical programmes and priorities are not
  fully in the hands of statistical authorities
• Fixing standards for concepts may go beyond
  purely technical considerations (poverty levels,
  weights for composite indicators etc.)

12
Recommendations for the revision of the UN
Fundamental Principles (1)

• Include in the preamble
• The role of statistics and statistical offices
  has changed in the last 20 years with an
  increasing use of administrative data instead of
  survey data
• The principles should apply to all official
  bodies producing statistics
• Recognition of the role played by parliament in
  democratic societies regarding statistical
  methods and work programmes

13
Recommendations for the revision of the UN
Fundamental Principles (2)

• Reinforce the principles with good practice
  indicators as in the Code
• Introduce a quality assurance framework to
  reinforce the good practice indicators (taking
  forward the current NQAF project)
• Emphasize the importance of professional
  independence by recommending the inclusion of
  professional independence in statistical law
• Consider the inclusion of the appointment and
  dismissal procedures for heads of national
  statistical offices

14
Recommendations for the revision of the UN
Fundamental Principles (3)

• Emphasize the principle of impartiality
• Be more explicit about what is meant by
  statistical quality (for example the ESS Quality
  Declaration)
• Ensure appropriate use of metadata, quality
  profiles and labelling to inform users about data
  reliability

15
Recommendations for the revision of the UN
Fundamental Principles (4)

• Introduce a system of regular assessment,
  monitoring and reporting to identify progress and
  areas for further improvement
• self assessments based on a common questionnaire
• peer reviews
• annual monitoring

Key message Countries are responsible for
putting in place robust statistical institutions
that function independently