Good statistics are accurate, timely, consistent and comparable. Only then can they be the unbiased reality check needed for responsible decision-making. Claudia Mann looks back at past mistakes and what Europe has learned from them.

The original post was published on 26 September 2025.
www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250926~e348e2b4b9.en.html


Subscribe to be notified of future posts on The ECB Blog.
www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/html/register.en.html

Check out other posts on The ECB Blog
www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/html/index.en.html

European Central Bank
www.ecb.europa.eu

Don’t blame the herald: statistical independence is indispensable

The ECB Blog offers new insights on the economy and central bank policies based on our data, analysis and research - for the euro area and beyond. For the full texts of our posts, including visuals, please visit our website.

Posts are authored by ECB staff and the audio versions are machine generated. The views expressed are those of the posts' authors and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank and the Eurosystem.