a) Prepare the document “General Lines of Official Statistical Activity”, define the respective priorities and carry out its annual monitoring, to be submitted to the Plenary of the Council;
b) Prepare an “Evaluation Report on the State of the SEN”, to be submitted to the Plenary of the Council until the end of the term of office of its members;
c) Appreciate the annual Plan and Budget for the Statistical Activity of the Statistical Authorities and the respective execution report, to be submitted to the Council Plenary for consideration;
d) Monitor the preparation of the Activities Plan of the Higher Statistical Council and the respective execution report, to be approved by the Plenary of the Council;
e) Monitor the execution of the Activity Plans referred to in paragraphs c) and d);
f) Ensure compliance with the fundamental principles of the SEN;
g) Adopt the technical instruments of statistical coordination of mandatory application in the production of official statistics, being able to propose to the Government the extension of its mandatory use to the Public Administration;
h) Formulate recommendations that contribute to promoting the use of administrative acts and other sources for statistical purposes, namely through recommendations for the use of technical instruments for statistical coordination;
i) Appreciate the proposals for the delegation of powers by INE, IP to other entities for the production and dissemination of official statistics, to be submitted for consideration by the Plenary of the Council;
j) Analyze and give an opinion on the draft diplomas that create statistical services or contain any rules that affect the structure or functioning of the SEN, under the terms of article 14 of the SEN Law;
k) To monitor, through the national institutional participants, the work of the Committees or Working Groups that operate within the scope of the European Union and the relevant international organizations relating to its area of intervention;
l) Follow up on issues related to international statistical cooperation and the training of SEN human resources.

Permanent members:

• Statistics Portugal
• Banco de Portugal
• Regional Statistics Service of the Azores
• Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira
• Entities delegated by INE
• Presidency of the Council of Ministers
• Government representation in the area of the economy and the sea
• Government representation in the area of finance
• Government representation in the area of health
• Government representation in the area of agriculture and food
• Business Confederations (one representative to be designated, by agreement, among those represented in the CSE)
• Trade Union Centers (one representative, to be designated by agreement between those represented in the CSE)

For the exercice of the competence contained in paragraph j) of paragraph 2, the Section shall include:
• National Data Protection Commission;
• Entities whose areas of activity the diploma under analysis refers to, provided that they are represented in the Council.