Compilation of External Trade Statistics by
Enterprise Characteristics:
Progress Report
Karo Nuortila
European Commission/DG Eurostat/ Unit G3
International Trade Statistics - Production
Structural Business Statistics and
Statistics on Trading of Goods in European
Statistical System

Structural Business Statistics (SBS) describe the structure
and evolution of activities of businesses



Annual statistics with a great number of variables
No data on external trade
Statistics on trading of goods describe trade flows between
countries with a breakdown of products


Monthly statistics with detailed breakdowns of products and partner
countries
No data on traders
How combined trade and business
statistics can be compiled?


Solution: link trade registers with business register
Benefits:





No additional burden on data providers
The link exists already (required by Business Register Regulation)
Detailed level of trade data can be maintained
The most important economic variables available (activity, number of
employees, turnover)
Drawback:


Burden on data compilers
The method focuses on trade variables and basic enterprise
characteristics; more in-depth analysis from the viewpoint of SBS is
limited unless a further linkage is made to SBS micro data
Standardisation Exercise



A common pilot study in the frame of Edicom II program
(2001-2005)
Methodology and indicators developed by Eurostat Task
Force ”Trade Registers/Globalisation” since late 1990’s
Objectives:


To test the feasibility of matching business and trade registers
To reconcile trade flows according to enterprise characteristics
coherently
Standardisation Exercise

Method:






Linkage of micro data at national level: identification
code of trade register linked with identification code of
business register
4 populations: intra-EU arrivals and dispatches, extra-EU
imports and exports
Statistical unit: Enterprise
Trade data is reconciled according to enterprise
characteristics
Aggregated results (no micro data) delivered to Eurostat
Eurostat processes and publishes harmonised data
First Study 2003-2004



Reference year 1999
Data collection February – June 2003
Datasets








Matching rates between trade and business registers
Trade by size-classes (number of employees)
Trade by activity sectors (NACE) and size-classes (number of
employees)
Concentration of trade (CPA product classes)
Trade by activity sectors (NACE) and products (CPA)
Trade by activity sectors (NACE) and partner countries
9 Member States participated
Results published on Eurostat website in 2004 (working
paper)

Some problems with data => only the main results published in
relative terms (shares of total trade)
Second Study 2005-2006



Reference year 2002
Data collection March – September 2005
Changes in methodology:






Same datasets as in the 1st study
Data requested also in terms of number of enterprises
Revised geographical breakdown (new EU Member States
included)
More specific processing rules
17 Member States and 1 Efta country participated
Results published on Eurostat website in July 2006
(working paper)


Absolute figures published at detailed level (trade value and
number of enterprises)
Some problems with confidential data and complicated
indicators
Standardisation Exercise – Matching rates in
2005 exercise
Arrivals
Value
# of traders
Dispatches
Value
# of traders
Imports
Value
# of traders
Exports
Value
# of traders
BE
97
100
98
100
100
100
98
100
DK DE FR
100 81 :
100 89 :
100 83 :
100 90 :
100 : :
100 : :
100 : :
100 : :
IT NL
96 61
96 :
97 59
98 :
99 56
96 :
97 36
95 :
AT
96
99
99
100
85
89
85
87
FI SE CZ EE
96 93 - 99 98 - 99 95 - 100 98 - 99 96 : :
79 84 : :
99 95 : :
91 86 : :
LV
99
94
100
98
LT
96
82
98
86
HU PL
- - - - 100 :
100 98
100 :
99 98
SI SK NO
- - - - - - - - 83 99 98
58 87 95
84 99 44
73 92 97
Third Study 2006



Reference year 2003 (2004 too complicated because of
the EU enlargement in May 2004)
Data collection on-going
Changes in methodology:





Simplification and harmonisation of datasets and breakdowns
No overlapping data requests
New indicator for trade concentration (top enterprises’
contribution to trade)
Better measurement of geographical allocation of trade
Further specifications to processing rules
Way forward


Collect data annually on voluntarily basis
Set up legal basis


New Extrastat Regulation under preparation
Proposal to include an article on trade statistics by enterprise
characteristics

Globalisation indicators in trade statistics

Trade of multinational enterprise groups