National Statistics Institute, Spain

The National Statistics Institute is a legally independent administrative Autonomous institution assigned to the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitivity via the Secretary of State for the Economy and Business Support. It is basically governed by, 12/1989 of 9 May, Law on the Public Statistical Function that regulates Statistics activity for state purposes which is the exclusive competence of the State and by the Statute approved by Royal Decree 508/2001 of 11 May. The law attributes the INE with the following functions: formulation of the National Statistics Plan with the collaboration of Ministerial Departments and the Bank of Spain; the proposal of common regulations on concepts, statistical units, classifications and codes; and relations on statistics with specialised International Institutions and in particular, with the European Union Statistics Office (EUROSTAT).Moreover, there are other collegiate bodies with significant competences in statistical matter as: the Higher Statistics Council, the Interministerial Statistics Commission and the Interterritorial Statistics Committee. In all of them the INE plays an important role.The INE is also responsible for compiling the Electoral Census, pursuant to Organic Law 5/1985, of 19 June, on the General Electoral Regime, and on the ongoing and computerised coordination and management of the Municipal Register, as set out in Law 7/1985, of 2 April, Regulating the Local Regime Bases, and in Royal Decree 2612/1996, of 20 December, modifying the Regulation on Population and Territorial Demarkation of the Local Entities passed by Royal Decree 1690/1986, of 11 July.