Definition: European sample scheme (ESS)

Category: General concept

A method to combine data that have been compiled on country level to obtain an European Union (EU) or euro area aggregate. The crucial issue of the ESS is that EU or euro area aggregates resulting from the ESS are statistically reliable while country results that form the input of an ESS may not necessarily be statistically reliable for all levels of detail at country level. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Glossary:European_sample_scheme_(ESS)