{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2007-1578/annex-I/division-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2007-1578/annex-I/division-1.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2007/1578",
  "legislation_title": "Decision No 1578/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2007 on the Community Statistical Programme 2008 to 2012 (Text with EEA relevance)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2007-1578",
  "path": "annex/I/division/1",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "The role of statistics in European integration",
  "text": "Trustworthy statistical information about the economic, social and environmental situation in the EU and its components at national and regional level is a necessary precondition for the European integration process. It provides the EU institutions, Member States and citizens with the necessary factual means to assess the need for, and progress of, European policy initiatives. Harmonised and comparable statistics are also indispensable for the general public’s understanding of Europe, citizens’ participation in the debate and democratic process about Europe’s future and for economic operators’ participation in the internal market.\nThe deepening and enlarging of the EU is reflected in the ESS itself: the strategies and measures of the ESS comprise continuous harmonisation of concepts, definitions and methods and, if necessary, integration of production processes and implementation of common interoperable systems. However, the ESS needs to develop further its structures, strategies and measures to ensure that the system maintains and develops the necessary quality and effectiveness to meet all user needs. Research in official statistics can contribute, inter alia, to developing further the infrastructure, efficiency and quality of Community statistics.\nThe objectives for the programme period are to:\nfurther harmonise, develop and implement the ‘common statistical language’ of concepts, classifications and methodologies. Among the most important actions in this area are the revision of the European System of Accounts and the implementation of the NACE Rev. 2 classification of economic activities,\ndevelop a European statistical register of multinational enterprise groups and integrate it in the statistical production processes,\nfurther develop and implement standards and common tools for efficient and secure exchange of statistical data and metadata in the ESS in cooperation with other relevant Commission services, the European System of Central Banks and international organisations. Those standards will be enforced in all relevant domains,\ndevelop and implement a metadata repository available to users as well as producers, linking data and metadata for the whole data production cycle,\npromote increased usage of the Internet, not only for dissemination to end users but also for other parts of the statistical production process,\ndevelop and implement policies and tools for harmonised confidentiality management in the ESS. In particular, harmonised means of optimal access for authorised researchers to anonymised micro data collected in order to produce Community statistics will be developed and implemented. The risk of disclosure will be adequately assessed, and technical means will be developed to facilitate access to and sharing of statistical data,\ndevelop the means for exchanging tools within the ESS and promote the use of Open Source Software for that purpose, and\nput in place means for making better operational use of results from research in official statistics.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2007/1578/annex/I/division/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:16:58.234882+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}