PURPOSE: to amend the legal framework for developing, producing and disseminating European statistics.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2024/3018 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics.
CONTENT: the aim of this regulation is to ensure that European statistics stay relevant by taking into account those changing and more demanding user needs, notably by tapping the full potential of digital data sources and technologies, by enabling their re-use for European statistics, by making the European Statistical System (ESS) more agile and able to respond effectively and swiftly to crises, and by promoting data sharing and strengthening coordination among ESS partners.
Statistical response to urgent policy needs in crisis situations
Recent humanitarian and political events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the energy and cost-of-living crisis triggered by the Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, have amplified the demands and expectations for timelier, more frequent and more detailed European statistics needed to support Union decision-making and ensure the best possible Union response to crises.
The revised regulation establishes a statistical response mechanism for crisis situations, ensuring rapid and efficient data collection when needed.
The Commission (Eurostat) will examine crisis situations and may undertake urgent statistical actions as appropriate, where both of the following conditions are met: (a) it is strictly necessary to respond to urgent policy needs which arise from the crisis situation concerned following the activation of established emergency mechanisms in accordance with Union legal acts; (b) those urgent policy needs cannot be met under the European statistical programme.
The urgent statistical actions will be carried out by the Commission (Eurostat) at Union level in close cooperation with the NSIs and other national authorities.
When assessing the need for urgent statistical actions, the Commission (Eurostat) will promptly inform and consult the European Statistical System (ESS) Committee and duly take into account its professional guidance. Urgent statistical actions to be undertaken are subject to prior examination by the ESS Committee.
The Commission may, by way of implementing acts, specify the urgent statistical actions and set out the procedure for undertaking them, including the relevant timespan, frequency and quality requirements to be applied by the Member States participating voluntarily in the urgent statistical action.
Obligation of private data holders to make data available for developing, producing and disseminating European statistics
An NSI or the Commission (Eurostat) may request a private data holder to make data and the relevant metadata available free of charge where the data requested are strictly necessary for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics and cannot be obtained by other means or their reuse will result in a considerable reduction in the response burden on data holders and other businesses.
The NSIs and the Commission (Eurostat) will cooperate and assist each other in order to avoid excessive burden on private data holders and to determine who is to submit requests for data.
Development of European statistics
The NSIs, the other national authorities and the Commission (Eurostat) will endeavour to continuously innovate and develop new statistical outputs and insights on the basis of all available data sources and to use state-of-the-art technologies, with the aim of integrating them in the regular production of European statistics. For that purpose, the Commission (Eurostat) may initiate, in close cooperation with the ESS Committee, the development of new statistical outputs and insights across the ESS.
Access to confidential data, including data made available by private data holders, which only allow for the indirect identification of the statistical units may be granted to researchers carrying out statistical analyses for scientific purposes by the Commission (Eurostat) or by the NSIs or other national authorities, within their respective spheres of competence.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 26.12.2024.