About DGINS

DGINS (Directors General of the National Statistical Institutes) Conference is the most important forum in the European Union for discussions about the future and development of the European Statistical System (ESS).

The first DGINS meeting was held in Luxembourg in 1953. Nowadays the DGINS Conference is held once a year in one of the Member States with the aim of discussing topics related to the statistical programme and current strategic issues in statistics. The head of the host country's national statistical institute acts as chairperson. Around 120 people, including the Presidents of the National Statistical Offices, representatives of the European Commission, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, participate in this meeting.

A new mandate for the DGINS Conference was then adopted by the Statistical Programmes Committee at its meeting on 22-23 November 2000, indicating the present objectives, tasks and functions of the Conference. According to this document, the specific objectives of the DGINS Conference are defined as:

  • organization and management of statistical work within the ESS,
  • identifying and discussing future needs for statistics in a strategic context,
  • pursuit of existing priority needs that are not being met,
  • presentation of the statistical system of the host country.

This year’s DGINS Conference will be held in Prague, the Czech Republic, on 24-25 September 2012.

The last DGINS Conferences covered the following topics:

  • Wiesbaden 2011: Next generation of the Code of Practice and New conceptual design for household and social statistics
  • Sofia 2010: Measuring progress, well-being and sustainable development
  • Malta 2009: Migration – statistical mainstreaming
  • Vilnius 2008: Reduction of the administrative burden through official Statistics
  • Budapest 2007: The ESS response to globalization – are we doing enough?
  • Cracow 2006: Making the system work
  • Copenhagen 2005: The challenge of communicating statistics
  • Paris 2004: Short term indicators priority assessment, quality, revisions and timeliness
  • Athens 2003: Social statistics in the enlarged EU
  • Palermo 2002: The future of the European Statistical System
  • Madrid 2001: Strategic planning in the context of enlargement
  • Porto 2000: Information and knowledge – the role of statistics
  • The Hague 1999: Statistics, a challenge for the future
  • Stockholm 1998: Quality work and quality assurance within statistics
  • Helsinki 1997: Information society and statistics
  • Vienna 1996: Statistical business registers: problems and opportunities
  • Meersburg 1995: Strengthening of the European Statistical System