The European Statistics Code of Practice

The European Statistics Code of Practice is the cornerstone of the common quality framework of the European Statistical System. It is a self-regulatory instrument and is based on 16 Principles covering the institutional environment, statistical processes and statistical outputs. A set of indicators of best practices and standards for each of the Principles provides guidance and reference for reviewing the implementation of the Code of Practice, increasing transparency within the European Statistical System.

The statistical authorities, comprising the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat), the National Statistical Institutes and other national statistical authorities responsible for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, commit themselves to respect the Code of Practice.

An independent Advisory Board, the European Statistical Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB), provides an overview of the European Statistical System as regards the implementation of the Code of Practice. The Board analyses the implementation of the Code of Practice by Eurostat and the European Statistical System as a whole every year; and advises on appropriate measures to facilitate the implementation of the Code of Practice, on its communication to users and data providers as well as on its possible updates.

Article 11 of Regulation 223/2009 as amended specifies that “the Code of Practice shall aim at ensuring public trust in European statistics by establishing how European statistics are to be developed, produced and disseminated”.

The 2017 edition is the second revision of the Code of Practice, originally adopted in 2005. It aims at reflecting the latest changes and innovations in the development, production and dissemination of official statistics in the European Statistical System and beyond, such as new data sources, use of new technologies, modernisation of the legal framework, and the results of the peer reviews on the implementation of the Code of Practice.