Peer Review

Peer Review is a process which objective is to review the compliance / alignment of the ESS with the COP and help the statistical authorities to further improve and develop the national statistical system. 

The Peer Reviews cover all the Member States of EU and EFTA as well as Eurostat. The candidate countries are also covered by the process but under the different methodology. 

Within the ESS, three rounds of Peer Review have taken the place: 2006-2008, 2013-2015 and 2021-2023, while the Macedonian statistical system was reviewed in 2011 and 2017. 

Beside statistical institutes, the process covers Other National Authorities (ONA’S) developing, producing, and disseminating European statistics.

The participation of ONA’s in the peer reviews has been extremely beneficial for closer cooperation within NSS, raising the awareness of the Code of practice and of the ONA’s role in the production of European statistics. 

The full package of documentation has been prepared for the Peer review and all documents have been approved by the European Statistical System Committee. 
The peer review is a long-term process from the preparatory point of view because it requires many preparations and organizational activities and involving and communicating many stakeholders (internally and externally). 

After the peer review visit, Eurostat prepares a Report and a list of recommendations, and the SSO and ONA’s should prepare the Improvement plan for implementation of recommendations. 

The implementation is monitored on an annual base.