From Administrative Data to More Modern Statistics: EU4ADMIN Final Event in Tarčin

From 2 to 4 September, the project’s final event is being held at Tarčin Forest Resort, bringing together representatives of the European Union, domestic statistical institutions, public administration bodies and international partners.

The three-day programme is dedicated to presenting the results achieved and exchanging experiences gained during the project, as well as discussing the challenges identified and issues related to the further development and sustainability of a more systematic use of administrative data in the production of official statistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By reducing the need for additional data collection from citizens and businesses, the increased use of administrative data sources creates opportunities for more cost-effective and efficient production of official statistics wherever this is methodologically justified. At the same time, the use of such sources requires an appropriate assessment of data quality and methodological compliance, as well as clearly defined institutional, technical and security procedures.

“EU4ADMIN has demonstrated that the systematic use of administrative data is not merely a technical issue. It requires institutional cooperation, methodological work, appropriate IT infrastructure, data protection and, above all, mutual trust. Today, we have more concrete cooperation mechanisms and practical solutions on which we can continue to build more modern and efficient official statistics in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Vesna Ćužić, Director of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the opening of the conference.

One of the important results of the EU4ADMIN project is the progress made in formalising cooperation with key holders of administrative data. Through the project, memoranda of cooperation and accompanying technical protocols have been prepared and agreed upon, with their signing planned for the end of September, while activities related to the preparation and harmonisation of additional agreements are still ongoing. These documents provide more precise arrangements regarding the datasets to be exchanged, the method and format of their delivery, frequency and deadlines, institutional responsibilities, as well as issues of confidentiality, data protection and secure data handling.

A significant part of the project focused on the development of IT solutions enabling the receipt, processing, validation and use of administrative data within statistical processes. These solutions were developed for selected areas of short-term business statistics and crime statistics, alongside improvements to the required IT infrastructure.

In parallel, specialised training was conducted in the field of modern IT technologies and tools, strengthening the professional capacities required for the long-term application and further development of the technological solutions introduced.

The completion of EU4ADMIN, however, does not mark the end of the process initiated through the project. The agreements prepared need to evolve into regular mechanisms of institutional cooperation, the developed IT solutions need to be maintained and further improved, and the established methodological, technical and institutional models should gradually be applied to new administrative data sources and statistical domains.

The EU4ADMIN project is funded by the European Union, with the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia and the Croatian Bureau of Statistics serving as consortium partners.