PROJECT C2.4 WORKSHOP ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF LOCAL UNITS, KAUS AND GROUPS AND ON ECONOMIC VARIABLES IN STATISTICAL BUSINESS REGISTERS

Project on “Business statistics: SBR and Business demography statistics”

Supporting partner countries in developing and improving their statistical business registers

Statistical business registers are a key tool in the production of many, if not all, economic statistics, including national accounts and, of course, business statistics. They include many data on which statistics can be readily produced and constitute the sample frame for a wide range of economic surveys. In order to answer more and more detailed information requests and to constitute an appropriate sample frame for more and more specific surveys, these statistical business registers need to include ever more detailed information on an ever-wider range of units.

The EU provides guidance for an optimal use of statistical business registers in the production of business and other economic statistics.  This guidance was recently updated through the so-called FRIBS regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics).

As of today, the statistical business registers of the partner countries do not fully comply with these requirements. In most partner countries, the economic information included in the business register still has to be developed. Local units and groups are generally not covered. The identification of individual entrepreneurs is also most often an issue. Therefore, few partner countries already produce business demography statistics, while the availability of such statistics is required to assess the performance of SMEs.

In this context, it was agreed to implement a specific STEP project on “Business Statistics: SBR and Business Demography Statistics” with the objective of improving and expanding the existing SBR in the partner countries and to develop and implement methodologies for producing new business statistics broken down by size-classes.

This online workshop was the second regional activity organised in the frame of this project. It specifically aimed at enhancing the statistical business registers of the partner countries with the identification of local units, kind of activity units (KAUs) and groups, and with the introduction of new and/or more detailed economic and links characteristics in these statistical business registers. It relied on the transfer of a specific knowledge and know-how by two highly-specialised experts, Ms. Daliutė Kavaliauskienė and Mr. Maksim Lata from Statistics Lithuania. Presentations from representatives of partner countries also helped. They covered the state of play in their countries with regard to the identification of local units, kind of activity units (KAUs) and groups, as well as discussing the production of economic variables in the statistical business register and links within their statistical business registers, the data sources used or available in the identification of these units and the production of these characteristics, along with the major difficulties faced or expected in this respect.

At the end of this workshop all participants expressed their deep satisfaction and their thanks to the two short-term experts, highlighting their wishes for the continuation of this cooperation. Most importantly, the workshop afforded participants the opportunity to elaborate upon and discuss roadmaps towards the identification of local units, kind of activity units (KAUs) and groups as well as the production of links and economic characteristics within the national SBR across all partner countries. These achievements will constitute essential elements for the development of the cooperation on statistical business registers and business statistics over the lifetime of the STEP Programme and for the achievement of the expected results within the framework of this project.