On 16 January 2012 in Brasov, Romania, the Presidents of the National Statistical Offices of Bulgaria and Romania, Assoc. Prof. Mariana Kotzeva, PhD, and Prof. Vergil Voineagu, PhD, signed the “Memorandum of Understanding between the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria and the National Institute of Statistics of Romania on cooperation in the field of statistics”.
Based on a Decision of the Council of Ministers of 30 November 2011, the President of the National Statistical Institute Assoc. Prof. Mariana Kotzeva was authorized by the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria to conduct negotiations and sign the Memorandum having the status of an international agreement.
This Memorandum aims at establishing a common framework for the joint development and implementation of cooperation programmes and projects based on mutual benefit and support. Both national statistics will cooperate through:
• exchange of experience and information regarding the methodological, organizational and technological issues of statistical data production and dissemination;
• missions and study visits;
• organization of training courses and working groups;
• exchange of statistical publications and methodologies;
• implementation of joint projects in the field of statistics, including research-development projects.
The Memorandum is concluded for a period of five years and shall enter into force on the day of the last notification by means of which the parties inform each other on the completion of the respective internal procedures. Its validity will be extended automatically for a new period of five years if neither party shall notify the other, through diplomatic channels, at least six months before its expiry, about its intention to denounce it.
NSI President Assoc. Prof. Mariana Kotzeva was honoured by Prof. Vergil Voineagu with Diploma of Excellence for her remarkable contribution to the development of the bilateral cooperation and to the progress of official statistics of Bulgaria and Romania, active members of the European Statistical System.
The National Statistical Institutes of Bulgaria and Romania have common goals and mutual aspiration towards boosting the bilateral relations and further developing the cooperation in specific statistical domains. This Memorandum shall promote intensification of statistical activities of regional and European significance.