European Statistical Advisory Committee

KEY POINTS

The committee contributes to close cooperation in the statistics programme-planning process to improve the governance of the European Statistical System and to enhance the quality of European statistics.

The committee serves as a channel for advice from users, respondents and producers of statistical information on the objectives of the EU’s statistical information policy.

Mission

The European Commission must consult the committee in the course of the preparation of the EU’s statistical programme.

It delivers opinions on the programme addressing in particular:

• the programme’s relevance to the requirements of European integration and development;
• the programme’s relevance in relation to the EU’s activities in terms of economic, social and technical developments;
• the balance as regards priorities and resources between different areas in the programme;
• the adequacy of resources needed to implement the programme;
• the production costs borne by providers of statistical information.

The committee advises the Commission on the development and use of EU statistical information.

Relations with other bodies and institutions

At the request of the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission, the committee delivers opinions on:

• EU statistical information policy;
• the priorities of the European statistical programme;
• the evaluation of existing statistics;
• data quality and dissemination policy.

It accomplishes its task by cooperating with the European Statistical System Committee.

Composition

The committee is comprised of 24 members appointed for a term of 5 years, renewable once.

Members are chosen in a balanced manner by:

• the Commission, which appoints 12 members after consulting the European Parliament and Council, using a list provided by EU countries. The Commission endeavours to ensure that the selection of the 12 members represent, in equal measure, users, respondents and other interested parties in EU statistics;
• the institutions and bodies to which they belong, which appoint 11 members (1 representative per organisation: European Parliament, Council, European Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions, European Central Bank, European Statistical System Committee [2 representatives], BusinessEurope, European Trade Union Confederation, European Association of Craft Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, European Data Protection Supervisor. The Director-General of Eurostat is an ex officio¹ member, without a voting right).

The committee elects its chairperson for a term of 5 years, renewable once.

The committee’s secretariat is provided by the Commission.