ECB Statement on Statistical Information Collection Amid COVID Crisis

The national central banks and reporting agents are invited to afford each other the degree of cooperation necessary to achieve this outcome in the context of their specific national circumstances and they will have the full support of ECB in their efforts. Measures to facilitate proportionality in the reporting of statistical information could under the current circumstances include reducing less important quality checks and related interactions necessary to ensure that the statistical information remains fit for purpose. In case of difficulties of reporting, reporting agents should contact their national central banks and ECB, as appropriate, and they will be offered assistance. 

ECB and the national central banks acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic poses considerable and diverse challenges to reporting agents across the euro area and EU. ECB is determined to continue collecting, on a timely basis, high-quality data that is fit for purpose, to have at its disposal the necessary statistical information to adjust all of its measures, as appropriate. The efforts of reporting agents to continue their statistical reporting to ECB and national central banks of the euro area are essential to ensure that all sectors of the economy can benefit from the supportive financing conditions secured by the policy measures of ECB, enabling them to absorb this significant shock. The ECB and the Eurosystem national central banks cooperate closely with other European institutions and bodies and will, together with the reporting agents, rise to these unprecedented challenges and ensure that the data and statistics required to support the necessary policy measures are available and fit for purpose. 

Related Link: ECB Communication (PDF)

Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, Statistics, Reporting, COVID-19, Proportionality, Data Quality, Data Collection, Statistical Reporting, ECB