The National Statistical Institute and Kosovo Agency of Statistics signed a Memorandum of Understanding

The President of the National Statistical Institute, Assoc. Prof. Atanas Atanasov, PhD and the Executive Director of Kosovo Agency of Statistics, Avni Kastrati, signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation which marked the beginning of a new stage in the traditionally good cooperation between the two institutions. The official signing ceremony, which took place in Pristina, was also attended by the Deputy Head of the Bulgarian Embassy in the country, Blagoy Petrov.

The Memorandum includes statistical areas of mutual interest in which cooperation will be implemented, including macroeconomic and demographic statistics, foreign trade in goods, etc. It is planned to promote the exchange of experience and good practices through the organization of video conferences and study visits between experts from the two institutions.

In his welcoming speech, Assoc. Prof. Atanasov emphasized that the development and deepening of bilateral relations with the statistical offices of the countries of the South-Eastern European region is a long-term priority of the NSI. “ The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding today reflects our shared commitment to further strengthen the professional relationship between our two institutions. I firmly believe that through the exchange of knowledge, expertise and good practices we can continue to improve the quality, relevance and accessibility of official statistics for the benefit of our users.,” noted Assoc. Prof. Atanasov.

The President of the NSI presented the latest developments in the institution’s activities, focusing on the new website, the Data Catalogue, the updated Monitorstat information system and the flash inflation that the NSI produces as a member of the euro area. He drew attention to the changes in Regulation 223 on European statistics. The hosts were intrigued by the possibilities of producing tourism statistics using traffic cameras in the country, as well as by the next population census, which is expected to be conducted using administrative sources only.