a set of specifications which describe target and survey population, the frame, the survey units, the size of the sample and the sample selection methods
The Member States concerned shall submit to the Commission before 30 September of the preceding year a detailed description of the methods to be used for the basic surveys and, where appropriate, of the sampling plan.
Good to know
These terms (sample design, sampling design) are sometimes used in the broader sense of "survey plan" or "survey design".
