Swiss statistics system rated good by Eurostat, but challenges remain
The European Statistics Code of Practice is well applied in Switzerland, notes Eurostat in its peer review report. The level of quality is high overall, but coordination needs to be strengthened and long-term funding for new activities secured.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
As a member of the European Statistical System (ESS), Switzerland took part in the third European Peer Review from March 20-24, 2023, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) wrote on Monday.
The report resulting from this review gives a “very positive assessment” of the Swiss statistical system. In particular, the legal bases provide a solid foundation for the professional independence of statistics producers, as well as for the objectivity, neutrality and reliability of the information produced.
The FSO is perceived as a trustworthy producer of public statistics, as are the other three statistical units selected for the evaluation: the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Federal Finance Administration (FFA) and the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (FOCBS).
Challenges ahead
However, the team of experts identified a number of challenges and made a number of recommendations. In particular, the FSO’s coordinating role within the statistical system needs to be strengthened in order to better support the various players in their activities.
This applies in particular to innovations in statistical methods, data science and artificial intelligence, as well as the standardisation and reuse of statistical services, the report explains in detail.
The FSO’s funding model should also be re-examined in the light of these new fields of activity, in order to ensure long-term financing.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.