The President of the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) Assoc. Prof. Atanas Atanasov and the Presdient of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) - Athanasios Thanopoulos, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of official statistics, which marked the beginning of a new stage in the collaboration between the two countries in statistical studies of foreign trade in goods, tourism statistics, population and housing census, etc.
The official signing ceremony took place during the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair. The Fair brings together state institutions, universities and leading companies and organizations from over 20 countries, with Germany being the honoured country for this year’s edition.
In his speech, Assoc. Prof. Atanasov emphasized the excellent partnership and fruitful cooperation between the national statistical institutes of Bulgaria and Greece within the European statistical system, as well as the support provided by ELSTAT in the process of our country’s accession to the OECD Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy. “Sharing ideas and good practices is the way to achieve a higher quality of official statistics at the national, European and international level, which in turn will bring benefits to all users of statistical information,” President Atanasov noted in his speech.
On the second day of his official visit to Thessaloniki, the President of NSI attended the official opening of the ELSTAT stand and participated as a panelist in a round table discussion on “Disaggregated data requirements to support public policies towards furthering sustainable local integration in Southeastern Europe”, which was part of an organized workshop dedicated to business statistics.
The Thessaloniki International Fair has been organized annually since 1926 and is one of the leading events in Europe, where representatives of the public sector, business, education, economy and innovation present their work and achievements. The exhibition will continue until 15 September 2024.