Peer Review Report: On compliance with the code of practice and the coordination role of the national statistical institute Germany

The National Statistical System (NSS) in Germany is decentralised and follows the federal structure of the country. The main producers of federal and European statistics are the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (NSI) and the 14 Statistical Offices of the Länder (SLOs). Another 17 National Authorities (ONAs) also produce European statistics. The NSI and the SLOs are well integrated and this form of working association is referred to as “the German system of statistical offices”.

Following the German principle of legality, federal statistics are, as a rule, ordered by the legislator and the majority of federal statistical surveys must have a legal basis. In practice, this means (with few exceptions) that a very comprehensive set of legal acts determines all the essential parameters of a survey.