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Official European statistics are regulated by the principles in the European Statistics Code of Practice, whose purpose is to ensure the quality and credibility of the data. These principles refer, among other things, to professional independence, the protection of confidentiality, the reliability of the results, their precision, timeliness, punctuality, accessibility, clarity, comparability and coherence.

The objective of the European Statistical System (ESS) is to enhance the integrity, independence and accountability of the statistical authorities in the ESS. This is in line with one of the strategic values of the CSO:
Trustworthy: We are transparent and honest. We comply with exacting international statistical standards and deliver high quality products and services in an ethical manner.

The European Statistics Code of Practice (ES CoP) is the cornerstone of the quality framework and sets the standards for developing, producing and disseminating European statistics. Ireland is fully committed to the ES CoP.

It defines 16 key principles for the institutional environment, statistical processes and statistical outputs under which the EU and the national statistical authorities operate . The 16 ES Cop principles contain a set of 84 sub indicators which provide a reference for reviewing the implementation of ES CoP , and hence, increase transparency in the European Statistical System.