The Director of the Statistical Office of Montenegro, Mr Miroslav Pejović, Acting Assistant Director Ms Branka Šušić Radovanović, MSc, and Assistant Director Ms Snežana Remiković participated in the 12th European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics (Q2026), held in Šibenik, Croatia, from 3 to 5 June, and organised by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics and Eurostat.

The conference brought together more than 400 registered participants from over 70 countries worldwide. During the three-day programme, participants exchanged experiences and discussed the latest trends, challenges and innovations in the field of official statistics. The conference programme featured 245 presentations from 54 countries across four continents, with a particular 
focus on the quality of statistical processes, strengthening trust in official statistics, the application of artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the development of modern statistical systems.

A particularly significant recognition for the Statistical Office of Montenegro was the opportunity for the Director Miroslav Pejović to chair the special session titled “Quality Culture in Enlargement and ENP-East Countries: How Can Peer Reviews Support Developing a Quality Culture.”. The session brought together representatives of statistical institutions from Armenia, Kosovo, Moldova and Albania, who shared experiences on the role of Peer Reviews in strengthening institutional capacities, improving quality management and fostering a sustainable quality culture within national statistical systems.

During the discussion, it was emphasised that quality culture is not built solely through recommendations and formal procedures, but primarily through responsible leadership, cooperation, continuous learning, professional development and the commitment of staff at all levels of the statistical system. One of the key messages of the session was that Peer Reviews should not be viewed exclusively as an assessment mechanism, but rather as an important instrument for institutional learning, organisational development and the continuous improvement of performance, while simultaneously strengthening public trust in official statistics. Special attention throughout the conference was devoted to the application of artificial intelligence in official statistics and its impact on data quality and trust in statistical information. Participants discussed the opportunities offered by new technologies for improving statistical processes, as well as the challenges related to maintaining the quality, transparency and credibility of statistical products. Particular emphasis was placed on the responsible use of artificial intelligence, data interoperability and the development of statistical systems capable of responding to the growing demand for timely and reliable information.

The participation of the Statistical Office representatives in this conference provided an important opportunity to strengthen international cooperation, exchange experiences and good practices, and further enhance the quality of official statistics in Montenegro, in line with the principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP) and international quality standards for official statistics.
 

Release

Photo gallery