Technical specifications of data sets
Article 7
1. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts specifying the following technical items of the individual data sets: (a) the description of variables; (b) the statistical classifications; (c) the precise characteristics of the statistical populations, the observation units and the rules for respondents; (d) the reference periods and reference dates; (e) the requirements relating to geographical coverage, detailed sample characteristics, including subsampling, in accordance with Annex III, common data gathering periods, common standards for editing and imputation, weighting, estimation and variance estimation; (f) the methodology providing for the comparability of the data collected, which may include, in duly justified cases, flowcharts on the order of the questions in order to achieve, where necessary, the common objective of a high level of comparability of employment and unemployment data in the labour force domain. 2. When items are common to several data sets, the Commission shall adopt implementing acts specifying the following technical characteristics of the data sets: (a) the description of variables; (b) the statistical classifications; (c) the precise characteristics of the statistical populations and of the observation units. 3. For the data sets on monthly unemployment relating to the labour force domain, the Commission shall adopt implementing acts for the purpose of describing the variables and the length, quality requirements and level of detail of the time series to be transmitted. 4. The implementing acts referred to in this Article shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 18(2). They shall be adopted at least 12 months before the beginning of the data collection period, except for the use of information and communication technologies domain, for which the implementing acts shall be adopted at least six months before the beginning of the data collection period.