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Bulgarian experts will support the implementation of European standards in statistics of the Republic of North Macedonia

Published at: 29.03.2019 - 17:30
The Bulgarian statisticians will support their colleagues from the Republic of North Macedonia in the implementation of European standards and best practices.

The EU funded project ‘Improving the Production and Dissemination of Statistics’ started officially today on March, 29 2019, with Launch event at the EU InfoCentre in Skopje, the Republic of North Macedonia. 

The project aims to improve the quality and availability of statistical data in the Republic of North Macedonia and enhance their use in development and coordination of public policies.

During the next three years, the State Statistical Office of the Republic of North Macedonia will receive technical assistance, consultancy support and advice in their way to adapt to the best practices and requirements EU Statistics acquis. The target group of the project also includes the other official statistics producers like the National Bank and the Ministry of Finance, the data provides and the users of official statistics.

The project has four components:
- Component 1: Further alignment with the EU standards in the field of macro-economic statistics
Component 2: Further alignment with EU standards in the field of business statistics
Component 3: Further alignment with EU standards in the field of social statistics
Component 4: Further improved Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure.

The Launch event was attended by Mr. Sergey Tsvetarski, President of the NSI of Bulgaria and Mr. Apostol Simovski, Director of the SSO of the Republic of North Macedonia, representatives of the EU Delegation to the Republic of North Macedonia and the Public Administration of the Republic of North Macedonia and the institutions that constitute the statistical system in the country. 

During the presentations and discussions it was stressed in many occasions the importance and significance of the improvement of the statistical system of the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance to the EU acquis, not only because it is a perquisite to start negotiations on other important chapters of the EU Acquis, but also because it supports better public policy decision-making based on solid evidence.

The Project is funded by the European Union under the IPA II 2017 Programme. It is for three years and will finish in February 2022. The budget is 1 648 500 EUR.

The project is implemented by a Consortium of BIM Consulting, Bulgaria and the National Statistical Institute (NSI) of Bulgaria.