What is being negotiated?

The objective of official statistics is to provide quantitative and representative information on the economic, demographic, social, and environmental situation in Montenegro to all users, in accordance with internationally defined methodologies and the highest professional standards.

Negotiations under Chapter 18 – Statistics encompass the alignment of Montenegrin legislation with the EU acquis in the field of official statistics. This area is considered particularly important because the positive changes resulting from a successful negotiation process will lead to improved quality, availability, and reliability of statistical data, forming the basis for public policy-making and creating better conditions for more dynamic social and economic development in Montenegro.

The field of official statistics is represented as a separate negotiating chapter; however, it is also of great importance for other chapters, given its links with numerous areas covered by the negotiations. The data produced by official statistics will be used to measure progress across all areas, as well as to determine Montenegro’s financial obligations towards the EU and the EU’s financial obligations towards Montenegro.

Sub-areas

This chapter covers five key areas: demographic and social statistics; macroeconomic statistics, national accounts and structural business statistics; business statistics; statistics on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, environment, registers and classifications; and coordination of the official statistical system.

Demographic statistics within social statistics include statistics on births, deaths, marriages and divorces, migration, the production of basic demographic indicators, as well as population estimates and projections. Data on vital statistics (births and deaths), as well as marriages and divorces, are among the oldest available data series and have been monitored since 1960.

The system of national accounts is a set of mutually integrated macroeconomic accounts, balances and tables, as well as classifications, representing the statistical framework for monitoring the economic developments of a country. The internationally prescribed methodology for compiling national accounts is the System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA 2008), which provides a detailed theoretical framework. For EU Member States, the prescribed methodology is the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010), which is fully consistent with SNA 2008 and adapted to the European environment and practice. Compliance with ESA 2010 in statistical practice is a legal obligation for every EU Member State.

The Statistical Business Register is a reliable source of data on the population and demographics of business entities. It serves as a sampling frame for all business statistics surveys within the national statistical system and provides the address base for sending questionnaires in statistical surveys, among other purposes. Such a register is considered a system that transforms data from administrative sources into data suitable for statistical use.

The Department of Agricultural Statistics covers structural statistics, crop production statistics, livestock statistics, agri-monetary statistics, and fisheries statistics. Within agricultural statistics, activities include the development of methodologies and the implementation of surveys in the field of agriculture and fisheries. Agricultural data are collected through complex annual reports, with methodological explanations provided in the relevant statistical sub-domains. Forestry statistics are responsible for developing forestry methodologies and producing indicators on the felling of specific tree species, the production of forest assortments, indicators related to forest cultivation and protection, as well as data on game catch and population levels. Environmental statistics participate in the development of methodological and organisational preparations for conducting statistical surveys on the use and protection of water from industrial pollution; irrigation systems; public water supply and public sewage systems; municipal and industrial waste; and develop and apply internationally harmonised environmental statistical standards.

The official statistical system of Montenegro includes the following producers of official statistics: the Statistical Office, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, and others defined by the Official Statistics Programme 2014–2018. The Statistical Office is the main producer and disseminator of statistical data, as well as the professional authority, organiser and coordinator of the official statistical system, and represents Montenegro’s official statistics within the international statistical system. In order to ensure more efficient coordination of the official statistical system, greater use of administrative data sources, and cost reduction, a new Sector for Coordination of Statistical Data Sources has been established within the Office. The primary role of this sector is coordination within the statistical system, cooperation with other producers of official statistics, cooperation with institutions managing administrative data sources, and cooperation with the business sector, all aimed at improving the quality of data sources necessary for producing official statistics.

When was the chapter opened?

Chapter 18 – Statistics was officially opened on 16 December 2014 at the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels.

Closing benchmarks

Under Chapter 18, the European Commission defined two closing benchmarks:

1. Montenegro submits key national accounts data in accordance with the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA) 2010 and other relevant requirements, together with the necessary detailed description of the methodologies used.

2. Montenegro presents to the Commission a roadmap for the transmission of the remaining tables from the ESA 2010 data transmission programme and for addressing the remaining methodological issues.

The closing benchmarks under Chapter 18 – Statistics are primarily focused on the submission of key tables in accordance with ESA 2010 and other relevant requirements within prescribed deadlines, accompanied by a detailed description of data sources and methods, and ensuring data quality in line with the European Statistics Code of Practice. Furthermore, the Statistical Office has defined an Action Plan under which it submits tables to Eurostat; this will also serve as the roadmap to be submitted upon fulfilment of the first closing benchmark, i.e. the submission of key ESA 2010 tables.

What are the activities in the upcoming period?

In the forthcoming period, Montenegro will remain committed to fulfilling its obligations under Chapter 18, primarily by meeting the criteria set by the European Commission for the above-mentioned closing benchmarks. Given that these are continuous activities, Montenegro works on a daily basis to submit the required tables and data. Preparations will also continue for the implementation of a register-based census methodology for the 2021 Population Census, with maximum use of administrative registers.

Institutions/organisations participating in the negotiating group

The Statistical Office is the key holder and coordinator of activities under negotiating Chapter 18 – Statistics. In addition to this institution, members of Working Group 18 include representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, the Customs Administration, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the Institute of Public Health, as well as representatives of civil society and other competent state institutions.

What are the benefits of this chapter for Montenegro?

Negotiations in the field of statistics will result in achieving European standards, leading to reliable statistical data relevant for all areas of society and meeting the needs of national and European institutions, business entities, and the general public. Students, research institutions and academics will gain access to comparable and therefore more useful data for research purposes, while citizens will obtain a broader picture of numerous everyday phenomena across different spheres of life.