First Implementation Dialogue on European official statistics

The Implementation Dialogue on European official statistics 'Towards relevant, simplified and cost-efficient European official statistics' took place in Brussels on 27 June. It featured an open and fruitful exchange with the EU business community and representatives of national statistical authorities.

The objective was to gather feedback on challenges with current statistical reporting and to identify simplification and burden reduction measures in the field of business and trade statistics while taking into account unmet user needs. Exchanges also addressed opportunities for simplification and burden reduction offered by the implementation of the recently revised Regulation (EC) 223/2009 on European statistics, notably through the re-use of already collected data, enhanced data sharing and innovative approaches.

There was broad consensus on the need to step up efforts towards simplification and burden reduction in the production of European official statistics but also to seize the opportunities created by the new digital environment in that respect. Participants called for an increased digitalisation of the entire statistical process, including data collection from businesses and use of artificial intelligence.

Business community representatives stressed in particular the importance of combined efforts to encourage public authorities to re-use more extensively already available data that are suitable for the production of European official statistics, thereby implementing the 'once-only' data collection principle. Reality checks in the form of workshops could also be organised by Eurostat to help identify further areas for improvement regarding the collection of data from businesses.

Concerning the re-use of privately held data for statistical purposes, participants highlighted the necessity to establish sustainable partnerships between statistical authorities and data holders based on trust and open dialogue, and the need to prioritise those areas with the most promising potential in terms of burden reduction.

Commissioner Dombrovskis concluded the Implementation Dialogue by stressing his firm resolve to work and deliver on simplification objectives and his intention to take into account stakeholders' views, notably in the context of the forthcoming evaluation of the legislative framework on business and trade statistics and of the implementation of the revised Regulation on European statistics.