1.The Code of Practice shall aim at ensuring public trust in European statistics by establishing how European statistics are to be developed, produced and disseminated in conformity with the statistical principles as set out in Article 2(1) and best international statistical practice.
2.The Code of Practice shall be reviewed and updated as necessary by the ESS Committee. The Commission shall publish amendments thereto.
3.Member States and the Commission shall take all the necessary measures to maintain confidence in European statistics. To this effect, ‘Commitments on Confidence in Statistics’ (the Commitments) by Member States and by the Commission shall further aim to ensure public trust in European statistics and progress in the implementation of the statistical principles contained in the Code of Practice. The Commitments shall include specific policy commitments to improve or maintain, as necessary, the conditions for the implementation of the Code of Practice and shall be published with a citizen's summary.
4.The Commitments by Member States shall be monitored regularly by the Commission on the basis of annual reports sent by Member States and shall be updated as necessary.
In the absence of the publication of a Commitment by 9 June 2017, a Member State shall submit to the Commission and make public a progress report on the implementation of the Code of Practice and, where applicable, on the efforts undertaken towards the establishment of a Commitment. Those progress reports shall be updated periodically, at least every two years following their initial publication.
The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and the Council on the published Commitments and, where appropriate, progress reports, by 9 June 2018 and every two years thereafter.
5.The Commitment established by the Commission shall be regularly monitored by European Statistical Governance Advisory Board (ESGAB). ESGAB's assessment of the implementation of the Commitment shall be included in its annual report submitted to the European Parliament and the Council in accordance with Decision No 235/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 1. ESGAB shall report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Commitment by 9 June 2018.