Glossary:European sample scheme (ESS)
See ESS disambiguation page for other meanings of ESS.
A European sample scheme, abbreviated as ESS, is a method to combine data that have been compiled on country level to obtain an European Union (EU) or euro area aggregate. The crucial issue of the ESS is that EU or euro area aggregates resulting from the ESS are statistically reliable while country results that form the input of an ESS may not necessarily be statistically reliable for all levels of detail at country level.
European sample schemes help to improve timeliness of statistical results and they also can reduce the burden on data providers and on national statistical authorities.
The rules for the European sample scheme are laid down in Annex III (Simplifications) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 implementing Regulation (EU) No 2019/2152 of 27 November 2019 (European Business Statistics Regulation).
The possibility to use European sample schemes in short-term statistics was introduced with Regulation (EC) No 1158/2005 of 6 July 2005. Detailed implementation rules for the ESS in STS were provided with Regulation (EC) No 657/2007 of 14 June 2007 and with Regulation (EU) No 458/2015.