EL MAESTRO CHAMÁN

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