Towards a harmonised methodology for statistical indicators : 2017 edition; Part 3: Relevance of indicators for policy making

Indicators more and more play a fundamental role in our modern societies and constitute an essential resource for policymakers, business leaders and the general public. They support evidence-based decision making, allow comparisons over time, between policies, countries and regions, social groups and industries, and contribute to increased transparency and accountability. To fulfil this key role, indicators must be based on statistics that meet defined quality requirements. European statistics as produced and disseminated by Eurostat and the EU national statistical institutes meet the highest quality requirements. Being based on high quality statistics is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to make indicators policy relevant. Official statisticians, researchers and experts must be aware of the implications of the increasing role of statistical indicators in policy making. They have to engage with decision-makers to understand their needs and the expectations, but also to provide guidance for a correct interpretation and use of these indicators, and for their limitations. This paper is the last in a series of three papers on statistical indicators published by Eurostat. The first paper on 'Indicator typologies and terminologies' was published in 2014. The second paper on 'Communicating through indicators' was released in February 2017.