Hellenic Statistical Authority

The Hellenic Statistical Authority according to the new legal framework

The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) is an independent Authority enjoying operational independence, as well as administrative and financial autonomy. It is not subject to the control of governmental bodies or other administrative authority. Its operation is subject to the control of the Greek Parliament and governed by the provisions of the Law 3832/2010 «Hellenic Statistical System Establishment of the Hellenic Statistical Authority as an independent Authority», as amended by Article 90 of Law 3842/2010 «Restitution of tax justice, treatment of tax evasion and other provisions» and by Article 10 of Law 3899/2010 «Urgent measures for the implementation of the assistance program of the Greek economy».

The Hellenic Statistical System (ELSS) comprises agencies that have the responsibility or obligation to collect statistical data. The role of ELSTAT in the ELSS is determining as, according to Law 3832/2010, it coordinates all the activities of the other ELSS agencies that concern the development, production and dissemination of the country’s official statistics and forwards these statistics to Eurostat.

More specifically, ELSTAT has, among others, the following responsibilities:

a) participates in the formation and approves, after seeking the opinion of the Council of the Hellenic Statistical System (SYELSS), during the last quarter of every year, the Hellenic Statistical Program (ELSP), which sets out the major fields and objectives of the actions scheduled by ELSS agencies for a three (3) year period,

b) approves the annual statistical work programs of the ELSS agencies and, by taking into consideration these programs, it compiles and implements its respective program,

c) produces and publishes as the “National Statistical Institute” the official national and European statistics of Greece,

d) represents Greece as the “National Statistical Institute” in the services of the European Union and in any other competent international Organization,

e) cooperates with Eurostat and the other services of the European Commission, the national statistical institutes of the other Member States and the national authorities of the ELSS, on statistical issues and participates in the relevant Working Groups and Committees of the European Union and of other international Organizations as the “National Statistical Institute”,

f) sees to the timely, reliable and effective dissemination of statistical information and to the promotion of statistical issues and economic research in the context of the country’s international cooperation,

g) cooperates with public and private agencies in Greece or abroad, such as educational institutions, research centers and non-profit Organizations for the promotion of scientific research for statistical issues and the implementation of the statistical principles of the Hellenic and European Statistical Systems,

h) cooperates and consults with the other ELSS agencies on the development of methods and systems for statistical purposes in their domains of responsibility,

i) develops, disseminates and coordinates the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice within the framework of ELSS,

j) sees to the inculcation of its staff and that of other ELSS agencies, with the principles and methods of production of reliable statistics for the European Statistical System,

k) sees to the continuous upgrading of the human resources available to ELSTAT, through training and seminars,

l) defines the national Authorities , which are responsible for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, in the frame of ELSS,

m) defines the ELSS agencies, which have the responsibility or obligation to collect statistical data,

n) approves, after seeking the opinion of the Council of the Hellenic Statistical System, the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the ELSS agencies,

o) certifies as “official” statistics those that have been produced by other agencies of ELSS, on the basis of relevant methodology, which is provided in the Regulation on the Operation and Administration of ELSTAT. In this context, the other ELSS agencies are obliged to submit, at least once a year, reports to ELSTAT on the quality of the transmitted data, which fall in the domain of their responsibility.

The services and agencies of the public sector, the Legal Entities under Private Law, the associations of individuals and natural persons are obliged to grant ELSTAT access to all the administrative sources, public registers and files they keep, in printed, electronic or other form, and provide, in an accurate and timely manner, ELSTAT with primary statistical data and information, which is required for the performance of its duties. The violation of these obligations by any person who may be a civil servant, state official, Legal Entity under Public Law, or employee of a Local Government Organization, constitutes a disciplinary offence of breach of duty and may be punished with the penalty of final dismissal. Moreover, ELSTAT, by its Decision, can impose on the Head of the competent service or the legal representative of the Legal Entity of Public or Private Law or the natural person, the following administrative sanctions: a) issue a notice to correct the violation within a limited period of time, b) in case of failure, to correct the violation, impose a fine, which may range from one thousand (1.000) to fifty thousand (50.000) Euros.

ELSTAT has a collective body, which is constituted of seven members, of whom four members (the President, the Vice–President and two more members) are selected by the Conference of the Presidents of the Greek Parliament with a four fifths (4/5) majority, at the proposal of the Minister of Finance, after a public application for the positions. As regards the other three members, one member is nominated by the Governor of the Bank of Greece, one member is nominated by the Minister of Finance, and one member is nominated by the Association of the employees of ELSTAT.

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The national Authorities have been defined by ELSTAT Decision No 9909/B2-1070/28.9.2010, which was published in the Government Gazette No 1629 of October 11th, 2010.
The ELSS agencies have been defined by ELSTAT Decision No 9908/B2-1069/28.9.2010, which was published in the Government Gazette No 1629 of October 11th, 2010.