principally the NSIs, which in many cases cull data from several official sources, and the social security departments. In a few cases data are from private oganisations.
As a rule, SME data are merged from several sources, either at national level or by Eurostat. This process is frequently necessary in order to cover all the variables needed for all sectors of the economy and all size classes.
Confidential data
Most countries, in order to preserve confidentiality, prohibit the dissemination of data when they concern only a very small number of enterprises — usually two or three units. Data transmitted to Eurostat by Member States are in these cases either received already processed for confidentiality, or are processed by Eurostat in accordance with each country’s confidentiality rules.
Estimates
As a first step towards compiling estimates for the Union as a whole, Eurostat has produced a series of estimates by country. Two complementary estimation methods were used, depending on the availability and quality of data. The first was built around a recalibration of the data based on existing data from earlier years and data held in the ‘SBS’ database for the size class total, and the second based on analysis of observed changes in the same variable and the same group of enterprises in other countries. The principle underlying this method is estimating a value for each variable in each size class and country by applying a growth rate weighted for the same size class in a set of other countries deemed to be neighbours. The result obtained on completion of this first iteration can be recalibrated on the basis of any available additional data, notably from the ‘SBS’ database.
Regional classification
The regional classification used for the ‘SME’ database is the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Statistical Units), which has been in force since 1988 and was revised in 1999 (1). Data are supplied at NUTS level 2, which corresponds approximately to the second administrative level below national level. Since neither Denmark nor Luxembourg has NUTS 2 subdivisions, no regional data are provided for these two countries.
Comparability of data with other sources
As a rule, countries compile ‘SME’ data by using or combining data from specific sources. These may be different from the sources used, for example, in the national accounts data or from results of industrial or enterprise censuses. Differences regarding methodology, levels of harmonisation or compilation methods, particularly in the definition of size classes in terms of numbers of employees or persons employed, exits between data from the ‘SME’ database and data of the ‘SBS’ database set up under Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 58/97 of 20 December 1996 concerning structural business statistics (2) (see the methodological note, p. 12).
‘SME’ database data relate only to non-agricultural market activities, and this leaves aside a significant part of the economy and of employment: agriculture, forestry, fishing, public administration and non-market services.
The different sectoral cover and sources used may also produce divergences in results between ‘SME’ data and data from other statistical sources.
(1) See Council Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 on the tasks of the Structural Funds, OJ L 185 of 15.7.1988.
COUNTRIES
EU European Union
EU-15 All Member States of the European Union (as of 1 January 1995) EUR-11 All Member States of the European monetary Union (1 January 1999):
B, D, E, F, IRL, I, L, NL, A, P, S B Belgium DK Denmark D Germany EL Greece E Spain F France IRL Ireland I Italy L Luxembourg NL The Netherlands A Austria P Portugal FIN Finland S Sweden UK United Kingdom AL Albania BG Bulgaria CZ Czech Republic EE Estonia HU Hungary IS Iceland LT Lithuania LV Latvia NO Norway PL Poland RO Romania SI Slovenia SK Slovakia
INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS CBR Center for Business Research (ESRC, Cambridge University)
EC European Community/Communities EEC European Economic Community (now EC)
EFTA European Free Trade Association (Stockholm Convention)
ESRC see CBR
Euratom European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) Eurostat Statistical Office of the European Communities
EUR-OP Office for Official Publications of the European Communities OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Unesco United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cutural Organisation
OTHER BACH Bank of harmonised company accounts data
CD-ROM compact disc — read-only memory CEC Central European Countries
CIS2 Second Community Innovation Survey DG Directorate General
DG ECFIN Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs ECU European currency unit
euro-zone All Member States of the European monetary Union (1 January 1999): B, D, E, F, IRL, I, L, NL, A, P, S
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GISCO Geographic Information System for the Commission of the European Union HoReCa Hotels, restaurants and catering
LFS Labour Force Survey
NACE General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities within the European Communities
NACE Rev. 1 Statistical Classification of Economic Activities within the European Community (concerning data from 1993 onwards)
NUTS Nomenclature of Territorial Statistical Units OJ Official Journal of the European Communities
Phare Community Programme for assistance for economic restructuring in the countries of central Europe
REGIO Regional database of Eurostat R&D Research and Development SBS Structural Business Statistics SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprise SMU Small and Medium-sized local Unit VAT Value-Added Tax
SYMBOLS
cont. continued
doc. document
e.g. exempli gratia (for example)
Fig. Figure
i.e. id est
Mio million
Mrs Madam
Mr Mister
NB nota bene: note
No number p. (pp.) page (pages) Rep. Republic sq. km. square kilometer Tab. Table vol. volume
: data not available .. confidential data
STATISTICAL CLASSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
NACE 01 Agriculture, hunting and related service activities NACE 02 Forestry, logging and related service activities
NACE 05 Fishing, operation of fish hatcheries and fish farms; service activities incidental to fishing
NACE 10 Mining of coal and lignite; extraction of peat
NACE 11 Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas;
service activities incidental to oil and gas extraction excluding surveying NACE 12 Mining of uranium and thorium ores
NACE 13 Mining of metal ores NACE 14 Other mining and quarrying
NACE 15 Manufacture of food products and beverages NACE 16 Manufacture of tobacco products
NACE 17 Manufacture of textiles
NACE 18 Manufacture of wearing apparel; dressing and dyeing of fur
NACE 19 Tanning and dressing of leather; manufacture of luggage, handbags, saddlery, harness and footwear
NACE 20 Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials
NACE 21 Manufacture of pulp, paper and paper products
NACE 22 Publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media
NACE 23 Manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuel NACE 24 Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
NACE 25 Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
NACE 26 Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
NACE 27 Manufacture of basic metals
NACE 28 Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
NACE 29 Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.
NACE 30 Manufacture of office machinery and computers
NACE 31 Manufacture of electrical machinery and apparatus n.e.c.
NACE 32 Manufacture of radio, television and communication equipment and apparatus NACE 33 Manufacture of medical, precision and optical instruments, watches and clocks
NACE 34 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers NACE 35 Manufacture of other transport equipment
STATISTICAL CLASSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
NACE 36 Manufacture of furniture; manufacturing n.e.c. NACE 37 Recycling
NACE 40 Electricity, gas, steam and hot water supply NACE 41 Collection, purification and distribution of water
NACE 45 Construction
NACE 50 Sale maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; retail sale of automotive fuel
NACE 51 Wholesale trade and commission trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles NACE 52 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles; repair of personal and
household goods
NACE 55 Hotels and restaurants
NACE 60 Land transport; transport via pipelines
NACE 61 Water transport NACE 62 Air transport
NACE 63 Supporting and auxiliary transport activities; activities of travel agencies NACE 64 Post and telecommunications
NACE 65 Financial intermediation except insurance and pension funding NACE 66 Insurance and pension funding except compulsory social security
NACE 67 Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation NACE 70 Real estate activities
NACE 71 Renting of machinery and equipment without operator and of personal and household goods
NACE 72 Computer and related activities
NACE 73 Research and development NACE 74 Other business activities
NACE 75 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
NACE 80 Education
NACE 85 Health and social work
NACE 90 Sewage and refuse disposal, sanitation and similar activities NACE 91 Activities of membership organisations n.e.c.
NACE 92 Recreational, cultural and sporting activities NACE 93 Other service activities
NACE 95 Private households with employed persons NACE 99 Extra-territorial organisations and bodies