Legal framework of Slovene national statistics

The legal framework is one of the most modern and was developed studying the best practices in world statistics, especially in Nordic countries where similar register-based statistics has been developed.

The principal legislation

The legal bases for the operation of SORS and authorised producers of national statistics are the National Statistics Act, medium-term and annual programmes of statistical surveys issued on the basis of the National Statistics Act.

National Statistics Act determines:

• basic principles of national statistics,
• organization and position of performing activities of national statistics,
• pogramming of statistical surveys,
• methodological bases of statistical surveys,
• obligation of institutions keeping registers and data collections,
• data collection,
• data processing and storage,
• data protection, use and transmission,
• international statistical co-operation.

National Statistics Act (OJ RS, No. 45/95 and 9/2001)

At the moment valid programmes of statistical surveys:

Medium-term Programme of Statistical Surveys 2008-2012 (OJ RS, No 119/2007)

Annual Programme of Statistical Surveys for 2010 (OJ RS, No 93/2009 and 19/2010; available only in Slovene)

European Statistics Code of Practice

The Code of Practice consists of 15 principles. Its purpose is to improve trust and confidence in the statistical authorities by proposing certain arrangements and to reinforce the quality of statistics by promoting international statistical principles, methods and practices.


Standard classifications

The use of standard classifications in administrative data collections is obligatory and it influences the quality and harmonisation of data in administrative records. These data are also a good source for the needs of implementing national statistics and its international comparability.

Standard classifications are adopted by the Government with decrees such as:

• Decree on the Standard Classification of Territorial Units
• Decree on the Introduction and Use of the Standard Classification of Institutional Sectors
• Decree on the Introduction and Use of the Classification of Products by Activity
• Decree on the Introduction and Use of the Standard Classification of Activities
• Decree on the Introduction and Use of the Standard Classification of Occupations
• Decree on the Introduction and Use of Standard Classification of Education

In addition to classifications prescribed by Government decrees, national statistics uses other classifications prescribed as statistical standards with methodological guidelines. For better transparency and usage of classifications, SORS has developed the technical solution in the classification server named KLASJE.