Bosnia-Herzegovina 2024-2026

Statistics Denmark is implementing an EU-financed Twinning project in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the national statistical institutions of Finland, Slovenia and Italy. The project runs from January 2024 to January 2026. This project is the fifth in a row of collaboration projects financed by the EU, with Statistics Denmark as the lead agency.

This Twinning project addresses multiple institutions as they all constitute the national statistical system of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The beneficiary institutions are:

• Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Institute for Statistics of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Institute for Statistics of Republika Srpska,

• The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the national statistical system (NSS) in Bosnia-Herzegovina facilitating its approximation to the Union acquis in the area of statistics. The importance of this objective was highlighted on 15 December 2022, when Bosnia and Herzegovina received candidate status for EU membership. The candidate status adds further urgency to the approximation process. 

The project addresses five independent components:

• Component 1: Business Statistics

• Component 2: Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA)

• Component 3: Information and Communication Technology Statistics (ICT)

• Component 4: Labour Markets Statistics

• Component 5: Monthly Balance of Payments Statistics

Business Statistics

From previous Twinning Projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Danish and Finish experts have an in depth understanding of the local conditions. As EBS has come into effect both structural business statistics and short term statistics has to be adjusted in terms of methodology and data collection thereby requiring changes to the Statistical Business Register. At the same time, the burden put on respondents must not grow and should preferably be reduced through better data collecting and use of administrative data.

Administrative data sources

The consortium has significant experience in the use of administrative data for production of statistics. With some accuracy, it can be claimed that the use of administrative data was invented in Scandinavia.

Denmark and Finland has a long history of using administrative data sources. Statistics Finland is required by law to use administrative sources if available in order to minimize respondent burden and in Denmark, nearly all social statistics are based on administrative records. Data on wages and employment are also usually extracted from business and tax authorities.

TSA and ICT

TSA and ICT are new areas to this Twinning but are all produced by the MS partners. Implementation of ICT in Bosnian-Herzegovina is already well advanced and the component may be directed more at methodologies used for collecting and producing the statistics than actually compiling them. TSA or more formally Tourism Satellite accounts are often produced in a venture between NSIs and relevant public institutions such as the national board of tourism and academia.

Labour markets statistics

Labour market statistics are produced according to Eurostat and ILO requirement. Data is compiled using a combination of surveys and administrative records. The coming project will focus on using administrative records. 

Monthly Balance of Payment

Balance of Payment is usually produced in close collaboration between the national statistical institutes and the Central / National Bank. As in two previous project, we hope to continue the work relation established between Statistics Finland, the Central Bank of Finland and the Central Bank of Bosnia-Herzegovina. If relevant expertise from Italy may also be mobilized.