Tõnu Kollo was elected the chairman of the Statistical Council

According to the new chairman Tõnu Kollo, the previous Statistical Council achieved impressive results and their perspective – as outlined in the annual reports submitted to the Government of the Republic – is a valuable resource for the new Council. “The producers of official statistics have been good partners for the Statistical Council”, said Kollo. “The Council now has a specific role and we hope to continue this good cooperation in the next four years,” he added.

The Director General of Statistics Estonia Andres Oopkaup said that the Statistical Council has been a great partner for Statistics Estonia. “The previous Statistical Council played a fundamental role, shaping the best practice in Estonia. After all, it was the first Statistical Council since the restoration of independence in Estonia, which is a fact that should not be underestimated,” said Oopkaup. “Although it may sometimes seem that the Council’s voice does not yet carry enough weight, they have laid a solid foundation and have set a benchmark for the future,” he added.

The first meeting of the Statistical Council was convened by the Minister of Finance. In addition to the election of the chairman, there were other items on the agenda, such as the introduction of the main principles and procedures of the Statistical Council. Also, the new Council members met the previous membership, who gave an overview of their work in the past four years.

The Statistical Council is an advisory body for the producers of official statistics – Statistics Estonia and Eesti Pank – and for the Ministry of Finance. It is established by the order of the Government of the Republic in accordance with the Official Statistics Act. The current Council was appointed to office on 15 January 2015. The Council has 13 members: the representatives of Statistics Estonia, Eesti Pank and the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate, and ten representatives of statistics users, respondents and experts. The Statistical Council is appointed for a four-year term.

The Statistical Council meets at least once every three months. The minutes of the meetings are public and available on Statistics Estonia’s website (only in Estonian).