Heads of EU National Statistical Institutes Discussed the Simplification of European Statistical Legislation

The heads of the statistical offices of the Member States of the European Statistical System discussed the simplification of European legislation in the field of statistics at a high-level meeting in Dublin, organised as part of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Bulgaria was represented by the President of the National Statistical Institute (NSI), Assoc. Prof. Atanas Atanasov, PhD. The event, held on 3–4 September 2026, was hosted by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland.

During the meeting, participants discussed at strategic level opportunities to simplify the existing European legislation in the field of statistics, with the aim of reducing the administrative burden on the statistical institutes of the Member States and on respondents. Topics included the prioritisation of statistical surveys, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the process of producing official European statistics, strengthening cooperation among users of statistical data, academia and producers of official statistics, as well as the role of the European Commission and Eurostat in the simplification process. The benefits and challenges of introducing artificial intelligence into the production process of official European statistics were also discussed, reflecting the topical nature of the issue.

Eurostat presented specific proposals for simplifying surveys in the areas of business statistics, trade statistics, social statistics, agricultural statistics, environmental statistics and macroeconomic statistics. The discussions will serve as a basis for the preparation of future legislative files in the field of statistics.