Abstract

The European Statistics Code of Practice (ES CoP) is the backbone of the ESS common quality framework and at the same time it is a self-regulatory instrument based on 16 principles covering the institutional environment, statistical processes and statistical outputs. A commonly agreed set of indicators of best practices and standards for each of the principles provides guidance and reference for implementing the ES CoP, increasing transparency within the ESS.
Following the development of the CoP and each of its updates, peer reviews mechanism was implemented to monitor the implementation of the ES CoP in all members of the ESS, including Eurostat. The last, third round of Peer Reviews (2021 – 2023) aimed at improving quality and trust in official statistics by assessing the compliance with the ES CoP and based on indicated future-oriented recommendations to help NSIs to improve their National statistical systems (NSS).
As regards the National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria (NSI) the peer review visit was held in the period from March 28 to April 1, 2022; the final peer review report was published in November 2022, and in the first half of the 2023, an action plan for improvement actions suggested by the NSI, in response to the report’s recommendations, was disseminated.
This paper describes the main features of the PR process at the NSI as well as its implications and impacts on the NSI’s activity: firstly, aspects of the methodology and organization of the process which have posed a major challenge and significant effort for the NSI, are discussed; secondly, the conclusions and findings of the final report, including twenty two specific recommendations on various broad categories (e.g. Ensuring adequate financial and human resources, Strengthening coordination and the visibility of quality, Making the most of the evolving data landscape and Strengthening cooperation with broader society). In addition, the article discusses how the Peer Review recommendations from the final report can serve strengthening the NSI through processes and collaborating with stakeholders and partners.
Finally, the plan of improvement actions proposed by the NSI in response to the recommendations of the report has been described. This plan of improvement actions, which covers the period 2023-2027, is highlighted as an example of PR’s relevance and impact on the future of the NSI and national statistical system. The topical issues are the good practices of actions taken included in the Action plan.