The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee approved Labour MEP Edward Scicluna’s report on the Quality Management of European Statistics with an overwhelming majority.

The report focused on improving the quality of European Statistics by improving the independence of statistical agencies and the quality of upstream data collected especially from government sources.

Prof. Scicluna who is Vice-Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee said: “This report could not have come at a more opportune time in view of the critical role given by the new Fiscal Treaty to a number of benchmarks. The ‘six pack’ legislation together with the scoreboards being set up for both eurozone and EU member states require accurate and reliable statistics for their effective implementation.”

The report is seeking improved structures and better governance in each member state, stronger internal and external audits and a greater commitment by governments with respect to the accuracy of public finance data.

The report also recommends a higher contribution of expertise from Eurostat to small countries with limited resources to ensure a better compliance rate.