DS Science, technology & innovation > Quality > EN > Revamp

Eurostat carries out controls and validation checks on raw data transmitted by the national statistical institutes (NSIs). It ensures, for examples, that the ‘totals’ of a variable across different breakdowns are consistent. This is in line with the European statistics code of practice and the quality assurance framework of the European Statistical System (ESS).

The data quality can be evaluated against indicators covering the following aspects:

  • relevance
  • accuracy
  • timeliness and punctuality
  • accessibility and clarity
  • comparability and coherence.

Eurostat validates the completeness, timeliness, and other quality aspects of the data which the EU countries transmit.

Eurostat asks national statistical authorities to supply specific metadata. These are available via the Eurostat metadata. They describe definitions used as well as the quality of the statistical outputs.

These reports aim to provide users with information on the different factors that could have effects on the quality of the statistics on business innovation. On this basis, users can assess the data quality independently.