Audit preview: The Commission’s role in providing high-quality European statistics

Abstract

Official statistics are published by dedicated national authorities and international organisations, providing information on economic and social development. They provide policy-makers with reliable, up-to-date information that they can use whendesigning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating policies. Reliable statistics are also essential for businesses and researchers. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted once again the need for timely, comparable and reliable European statistics. They are therefore relevant to all of us. The European Statistical System (ESS) is the partnership between the Commission (Eurostat, a directorate-general of the European Commission), and the national authorities in each Member State responsible for developing, producing and disseminating European statistics. Over the years, the European Statistical System has expanded to cover nearly all statistical fields.The ESS’s work is also coordinated with EU candidate countries and with otherCommission directorates-general and agencies, the European Central Bank (ECB) and international organisations such as United Nations, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization, and the International Labour Organization. Figure 1 provides an overview of the ESS’s governance.