National Statistical Institute (NSI)

www.nsi.bg

NSI carries out independent statistical activities of the state and other activities delegated by law.
NSI is a state agency that operates under the governance of the Prime Minister.
The President and the three Deputy Presidents of the NSI are appointed by the Prime Minister for a period of 7 years, but for no more than two mandates. The President of NSI should submit annually to the Council of Ministers a report on the implementation of the National Statistical Programme and a report on the activities of the National Statistical Institute for the preceding year, as well as a draft of the National Statistical Programme for the next year, not later than 14 days after the adoption of the Law on the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for the respective year.

NSI consists of Head Office (HO) in Sofia and Statistical Offices. There are 8 departments in HO (6 specialized and 2 general administration).
The budget of the NSI is formed of the subsidy from the state budget, grants from Eurostat and other bodies of the European Commission provided for the production of national and European statistical information and from own revenues.

In Bulgaria the strategic planning of the national statistical activity is conducted on a five year basis, according to the planning cycle of the European Statistical System. Currently the Strategy 2008-2012 is in place.
Annually, the National Statistical Programme is adopted by the Council of Ministers within a month after its submission. The Programme is published in the State Gazette and includes the NSI plan of activities and also the plans for statistical activities of the Bodies of Statistics.

According to Article 7 of the Law on Statistics, the NSI shall:
1.Coordinate the statistical activities of the state by means of: collaboration with the Bodies of Statistics in drafting and implementing the National Statistical Programme; provision of methodological uniformity of the surveys; participation in the building of the national statistical information systems; representing the National Statistical System to the European Statistical System and international organizations, and keeping contacts with the National Statistical Offices of other countries; ensuring the compliance of the methodology, contents and coverage of the statistical surveys with Eurostat requirements; coordinating all activities on national level relevant to the development, production and dissemination of European statistical information;
2. Study and summarize the public needs of statistical information;
3. Work out a Strategy for Development of the National Statistical System for each five year period in compliance with the Community Statistical Programme 2008 - 2012;
4. Work out an annual plan for its activities, in conformity with the objectives laid down in the Strategy for Development of the National Statistical System;
5. Collect, process and store individual and personal data and statistical information;
6. Develop and maintain the national statistical classifications, nomenclatures, standards and methods either independently or with other bodies specified in a normative act;
7. Prepare demographic projections;
8. Publish and disseminate statistical information;
9. Provide statistical information to the national and foreign users;
10. Provide individual data and aggregated statistical information to Eurostat for production of European statistical information;
11. Conduct statistical surveys, assigned and financed by direct financial contribution “Grants” from Eurostat or other international bodies or organizations, necessary for the production of national and European statistical information;
12. Develop and maintain national and regional statistical registers and databases;
13. Render methodological and methodical assistance and exercise control over the quality of the statistical surveys, carried out by the Bodies of Statistics;
14. Establish, maintain and manage central statistical archives and a specialized library;
15. Develop, produce and disseminate statistical information about the administrative-territorial and territorial units in compliance with the Classification of the Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes in Bulgaria. The National Statistical Institute shall also carry out statistical surveys, which are not included in the National Statistical Programme and shall process statistical data or other statistical services in case of being assigned by contract.

1880 – A Statistical Organizational Division was formed at the Ministry of Finance
1881 – The Bulgarian Official Statistical Office was created. The Statistical Division turned into an independent Statistical Office; The First Population Census was conducted
1897 – A Law on the Statistics Directorate in the Principality of Bulgaria and a Law on Population Census, Housing and Livestock
1910 – Published the first Statistical Yearbook
1925 – Conducted the first Household Budgets Survey
1946 – A Law on the Organization of Statistics in Bulgaria -The Statistics Directorate General passed over to the Council of Ministers. A network of local statistical bodies was created for the first time
1991 – A Law on Statistics – the National Statistical Institute (NSI) was created
1999 – Worked out a Law on Statistics in compliance with EC legislation
2000 – Closed the EU negotiations on Chapter 12 Statistics
2003 – Bulgaria officially joined the IMF Special Data Dissemination Standard
2007 – The Bulgarian Statistics was integrated into to the European Statistical System
2008 –A Strategy for Development of the National Statistical System of the Republic of Bulgaria, 2008 – 2012
2008 – The Law on Statistics was amended in compliance with the Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics
2009 – Census Law on Population and Housing in the Republic of Bulgaria - 2011

Law on Statistics
The denomination from 05.07.1999 applied Prom. SG 57/25 Jun 1999; amend. SG 42/27 Apr 2001; amend. SG 45/30 Apr 2002; amend. SG 74/30 Jul 2002; amend. SG 37/4 May 2004; amend. SG 39/10 May 2005; amend. 81/11 Oct 2005; amend. SG 88/4 Nov 2005; amend. SG 100/30 Nov 2007; amend. SG 98/14 Nov 2008

Census Law on Population and Housing in the Republic of Bulgaria - 2011

According to the Article 3 of the Law on Statistics the National Statistical System covers the National Statistical Institute, the Bodies of Statistics and the Bulgarian National Bank. The Bodies of Statistics are state bodies or their structural units, which develop, produce and disseminate statistical information.
The National Statistical System carries out the statistical activities of the state by conducting statistical surveys and activities, included in the National Statistical Programme. The National Statistical Institute, the Bodies of Statistics and the Bulgarian National Bank are the source of official statistics in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The National Statistical Council is a consultative body to the President of the National Statistical Institute responsible for defining the policies and strategies and for supporting preparation and implementation of the National Statistical Programme. The members are well known experts from Bodies of Statistics, Bulgarian National Bank, academia and representatives of different respondents and users groups.
There are Board of Directors, Information Protection Council, also attached to the President and Editorial Council which is subordinated to the Secretary General.

1 March 2001

According to the Law on Statistics, Article 4, Data, including individual data, necessary for the statistical survey, are collected directly from the statistical units, as well as from administrative sources. In order to reduce the administrative burden and the costs when developing and producing official national or European statistical information, the NSI and the Bodies of Statistics shall obtain data, including individual data, as well as aggregated information from the administrative sources, created and maintained by other state bodies.

The confidentiality and data protection are legally regulated in the Law on Statistics (Chapter Six “Protection of secrecy”) and in the Rules on dissemination of statistical products and services
(Chapter Three “Protection of the Individual Data”). Article 25 of the Law on Statistics states that individual data received and collected at the time of statistical surveys shall be statistical confidentiality and shall be used only for statistical purposes. Individual data, obtained for the purposes of the statistical surveys shall not be used as evidence to the bodies of the executive powers and the judicial authorities.
The criteria according to which data cannot be made public or released are also listed.

An annual calendar by months is posted at the beginning of the each year on the NSI web site. It contains the fixed release dates, themes and reference period for all indicators.

Statistical publications are issued in following themes: General (Statistical Yearbook, Statistical Reference Book, Statistical Panorama, and Statistics Journal), Population and Social Statistics, Economy, Statistical Classifications, Regional issues and Analytical Matters.

Bulgarian and English

Under the provision of Article 4 of the Rules on dissemination of statistical products and services, NSI disseminate statistical information using: Internet, printed and electronic publications, press releases, press conferences, media, direct links with users on the bases on agreements, library. To provide a single entry point to different kind of services NSI established the so called “Information corridor”.

The Law on Statistics includes provision which regulates that individual anonymous data can be provided for the purposes of the scientific work at the higher schools or to legal persons, the main activity of whom are the scientific studies, with the permission of the President of the National Statistical Institute.