ESS Approach to Quality
The revised Code of Practice and the new Quality
Assurance Framework
UN Statistical Commission's Learning Centre on National Quality
Assurance Frameworks
New York, 27 February 2012
Marie Bohatá
Deputy Director General, Eurostat
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Major European quality initiatives
Leadership Group on Quality (1999 – 2001)
European Conferences on Quality (from 2001 onwards)
European Statistics Code of Practice (2005)
European Statistical Governance Board (2008)
New European Statistical Law (2009)
Sponsorship on Quality (2009 – 2011)
– (Limited) revision of the Code of Practice
– Recommendations on quality management and quality
reporting
 Communication “Towards robust quality management for
European Statistics” (2011)
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The Sponsorship on Quality
 High-level Task force co-chaired by Statistics Norway and
Eurostat
 3 working areas
– Theme I – Code of Practice
– Theme II – Quality assurance framework
– Theme III – Communicating quality
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Code of Practice
 Self-regulatory instrument
 15 Principles cover the standards applicable to
– Institutional environment
– Statistical processes
– Statistical outputs
 Principles supported by indicators showing how compliance can
be demonstrated
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Code of Practice – compliance
 Self-assessments in 2005
 External peer reviews in 2006-2007
 Annual monitoring and reporting (Eurostat and ESGAB)
 Next round of peer reviews envisaged in 2013
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Code of Practice – revision of 2011
 Reinforced quality management, professional independence and
access to administrative data
 2001 Quality Declaration as a preamble
 Alignment with the ESCB Statistical Quality Framework
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Quality Assurance Framework
Level 1 = Principles (standards)
Level 2 = Indicators (how the standards
can be demonstrated)
Level 3 = Quality Assurance Framework
(what methods and tools can be
used)
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Quality Assurance Framework – features
Describes for each Indicator of the Code activities and methods/tools
that facilitate its implementation.
Can substantially contribute to the promotion of a common view and
understanding of quality management within the ESS and the
sharing of this with other important partners (including other national
data producers).
The open and flexible nature of the QAF allows the specific selection
of recommended activities/methods/tools that better fit the context of
a specific statistical authority.
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Quality Assurance Framework – example
Principle 8
Appropriate statistical procedures, implemented from data collection
to data validation, underpin quality statistics
Indicator 8.6
Revisions follow standard, well-established and transparent
procedures
Methods of implementation
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Guidelines on revision of published statistics exist, are applied
and made known to users
Revisions accompanied by explanations made available to
users
Quality indicators on revisions are calculated and published
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Quality Assurance Framework – example
Principle 8
Appropriate statistical procedures, implemented from data collection
to data validation, underpin quality statistics
Indicator 8.6
Revisions follow standard, well-established and transparent
procedures
Methods of implementation
• Guidelines on revision of published statistics exist, are
applied and made known to users
• Revisions accompanied by explanations made
available to users
• Quality indicators on revisions are calculated and
published
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Communicating quality
Review of ESS recommendations and requirements on
quality reporting
 Distinction of producer and user oriented quality reports
 Single metadata structure to be used to derive both
 Methodological Manual to be prepared
 Use of common ESS IT tools
 User oriented reports to be disseminated to the wide audience
 Producer oriented reports only to the producers
 Regular interaction with the target groups
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Theme III – Communicating quality
Review of the content of quality reports, including quality indicators
(European Statistical Advisory Committee consulted)
Implementation of websites declaring compliance with the Code of
Practice: for ex. INSEE France
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Summary
 The revised Code of Practice put in place
 The Quality Assurance Framework provides practical guidance
for the implementation of the Code
 Both are applicable across the statistical authorities
 Process/domain-specific quality management approaches can be
considered as a further level of quality assurance leading to
certification/labelling
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