Press release No. 246 of 1 July 2020
WIESBADEN – Today, Germany is taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for a period of six months. Represented by its President Dr. Georg Thiel, the Federal Statistical Office will chair the meetings of the Council Working Party on Statistics on behalf of the Federal Government during this period. This is the central body to discuss EU legislative acts in the field of statistics. Accompanying the EU Council Presidency with regard to issues of official statistics is of great importance for the Federal Statistical Office. Roughly 40% of the total of just under 400 statistics produced by the statistical offices of the Federation and the Länder are based on a European legal act. In his function as chairman of the Council Working Party, President Dr. Thiel will therefore represent the interests of official statistics in Europe.
“Valid statistics are indispensable for fact-based decisions and political measures – especially in times of crisis”, said Dr. Georg Thiel. “We intend to make use of the experience acquired in the crisis to supply the required data even faster in the future. This also applies to the European programme. Close cooperation within the European Statistical System (ESS) is indispensable here.”
The lessons learned during the coronavirus crisis will be the basis for the focal points of the programme in the field of statistics during the German Council Presidency:
- Identifying data needs – Providing statistical information
The results of official statistics will have to be available more rapidly and be more up-to-date. The corona pandemic has revealed gaps in the current statistics programme regarding data availability and timeliness. The aim is to bridge the gaps and to improve the timeliness of existing statistical information. As a result, a coordinated programme will be available which provides relevant indicators for policy-making. - Seizing the opportunities of digitalisation – Improving timeliness
New digital data sources are of crucial importance for compiling early indicators which in times of crisis allow to rapidly provide statistical information to policy-makers and the general public. The aim is that new digital data sources can permanently be used for the production of high-quality statistics. - Crisis-proofing communication – Accelerating action
Coordination processes and communication channels have to be efficient and flexible especially in situations of crisis. The aim of the Federal Statistical Office is to establish coordinated crisis communication within the ESS to be able to act more rapidly in the future.
During the German EU Council Presidency, the Federal Statistical Office will use various formats to advance the programme’s focal points in the field of statistics. This will include a digital conference on the lessons learned in the coronavirus crisis and a summit at ESS Directors-General level on “Strategic communication”. Also, the meetings of the European Statistical System Committee and the ESS Partnership Group will be used to shape the further development of the ESS.
Special webpage on the EU Council Presidency
Starting today, the webpage www.destatis.de/eu2020 specifically set up will provide all information on the German EU Council Presidency in the field of statistics. All important documents of the meetings of the Council Working Party on Statistics will be available there. In addition, the page gives an overview of the priorities of the German EU Council Presidency in the field of statistics and provides information on conferences and events planned during the German EU Council Presidency.
