News

EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, was a special guest to the 42^nd meeting of the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC), which was held on 12-13 February in Luxembourg and was the first one for 2020. Traditionally it is chaired by Eurostat and comprises the heads of the national statistical offices of the EU Member states, as well as representatives of the EEA/EFTA, Switzerland, ECB, OECD and IMF. Bulgaria was represented by the President of the National Statistical Institute Sergey Tsvetarski.

From 16 to 18 December 2019 BNSI hosted a study visit of experts of the Department of Social Statistics of Kosovo Agency Statistics in the field of Adult Education Survey. The study visit was held within the IPA 2015 Multi-beneficiary statistical cooperation programme, which is funded by the European commission and implemented by the German GOPA Consultants.

The Bulgarian statisticians will cooperate with their Palestinian counterparts in the fields of macroeconomic, demographic, business statistics and work with consumers to provide statistics, exchange ideas and information by joint activities. This is foreseen in the Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation in the Field of Statistics, which was signed by the NSI President Mr. Sergey Tsvetarski and Dr. Ola Awad, President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

At the meeting of the National Statistical Council under the chairmanship of Prof. Stoyan Tsvetkov held on December 6, 2019, the Report on the implementation of the National Statistical Programme and the Activity of the NSI in 2019 was discussed and adopted. Over the past year the NSI conducted 271 statistical surveys and activities, respectively the bodies of statistics – 45. A review of the implementation of all statistical surveys and strategic priorities in 2019 was made in the Report.

The training of 20 young statisticians from the Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, as well as from Bulgaria, concluded with a test for evaluation of the knowledge gained throughout the course. All participants showed outstanding performance at the test which led to holding of two additional rounds with questions for champions. After a rivalled contest the winner was the team with representatives of Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovona.

During 9 - 11 October 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia, the President of the National Statistical Institute Sergey Tsvetarsky participated in the 105^th Annual Conference of the Directors General of the National Statistical Institutes (DGINS) and the 41^st meeting of the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC).

In the framework of the SME Innovation Capacity Boost (SMEInnoBoost) project implemented within the framework of the transnational program ‘Balkans - Mediterranean 2014 - 2020’ (Interreg - Balkan-Mediterranean 2014 - 2020) where the National Statistical Institute is a partner a Self-Assessment System (SAT) was developed.

For a second consecutive year the National statistical institute hosts a training course for young statisticians from the Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosna and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. Their Bulgarian colleagues also participate in the training course. It is organized jointly with the Centre for Statistical Research in the University of National and World Economy - Sofia in the period 30 September - 5 October 2019 at the NSI’s Training and Qualification Centre in Slivek, Lovech Region.

In the beginning of October 2019, the National Statistical Institute launches conducting of the ‘European Health Interview Survey 2019’.