National Statistics Office director general Michael Pace Ross has taken up his seat on the 24 member European Statistical Advisory Committee of the European Statistical System.

His nomination was approved during the 16th ESS meeting in Luxembourg.

The ESAC is a high-level committee which assists the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission in ensuring that user requirements and the costs borne by information providers and producers are taken into account when coordinating the strategic objectives and priorities of the EU's statistical information policy.

Such assistance covers all statistical domains relevant to the Union's statistical information policy.

ESAC contributes to a close cooperation in the programme-planning process in order to improve the governance of the European Statistical System and enhance the quality of Community statistics.

The duration of the members’ mandate is five years.