NBS and national partners are gradually implementing the methodology of

the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS)

During October 25-26, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) organised an online workshop on the implementation in Moldova of the methodology of the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS). The first part of the workshop, with the participation of representatives of ministries and other public institutions, aimed at familiarisation with the main concepts and main definitions of ESSPROS used by the EU countries and the presentation of the social protection schemes identified by the NBS staff at national level. This was followed by individual meetings with specialists from the partner national institutions responsible for the production of data on social protection, with whom they mainly discussed about the financial flows of expenditure and income on the social protection within the identified schemes. Starting with February, the NBS started the implementation and gradual adaptation of the ESSPROS methodology at national level, being assisted in this regard by Flavio Bianconi, the expert of the project "Technical Assistance to support the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova", funded by the European Union.

At the opening of the event, Aurelia Spătaru, NBS deputy director noted that within the framework of the Moldova-EU association agreement, the Republic of Moldova is committed to comply with the community acquis in this regard: „Eurostat's methodology for the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics involves joint efforts by data holders on functional social protection schemes in the country. However, before producing statistics in line with Eurostat standards, the Republic of Moldova must adapt the methodology to the national context based on the analysis of data sources and testing their capabilities to provide the necessary and sufficient data for the production of official statistics in the field”.

Roberto Bianchini, team leader of the Parstat project, thanked NBS and all national partners for participating in the event and mentioned: „The EU pays particular attention to social protection statistics, being one of the three pillars of social rights in the EU, and a country development level is measured also through the effective implementation of social protection statistics”.

For two days, the team of NBS statisticians, assisted by international expert Flavio Bianconi, presented the importance of compiling and using ESSPROS data, the list of national schemes defined by the NBS, the main challenges identified in the necessary ESSPROS data. During the general sessions it was discussed the role and responsibilities of the partner institutions in providing data, and in the individual sessions - technical issues regarding the disaggregation of data and the need to apply estimates.

For two days, the international expert Flavio Bianconi presented the ESSPROS methodology, the importance of compiling and using ESSPROS data, the list of national schemes jointly defined with the NBS under ESSPROS, as well as the main challenges identified in the required ESSPROS data. The role and responsibilities of partner institutions in providing data were also presented, technical issues regarding data disaggregation and the need to apply estimates were discussed in individual sessions organised with representatives of several national institutions.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the National House of Social Insurance, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the National Health Insurance Company, the National Employment Agency, the National Agency for Public Health, the National Social Assistance Agency.

At the end of the event, its participants agreed on continuing good cooperation between institutions in order to provide the necessary data, finalise and compile in accordance with the needs of ESSPROS the statistical data for the protection schemes under the responsibility of the represented institutions.