National Statistical Institute

"Short-term Business Statistics and Statistics of Transport" Department

Emilia Altanova

Chief expert

2, P. Volov Str.; 1038 Sofia, Bulgaria

[email protected]

+359 2 9857 175

Data for started construction of new buildings provide information about building construction started by type of buildings - residential buildings, their dwellings, administrative buildings, other buildings and their gross building area. Statistical information about started of building construction is a prognostic short-term indicator for the future development on the construction business in the country.

· Classification of Types of Construction (CC)

· Statistical Classification of Products by Activity in the European Economic Community (CPA).

The statistical survey covers all municipal administrations.

The numbers of started new buildings are classified according to the Classification of Types of Construction (CC).

Building is a roofed construction site which can be used separately, and it is built for permanent purposes. Buildings are subdivided into residential and non-residential buildings.

Residential buildings are buildings in which at least half of the useful floor area is used for permanent residential habitation.

The residential buildings are subdivided into:

• one-dwelling buildings - houses, villas, bungalows for living by one household
• two-and more dwelling buildings - buildings such as flat blocks, apartment houses, detached houses, semi-detached or terraced houses with two and more dwellings and they have a common entrance
• residences for communities - residences and service residences for the elderly, students, children and other social groups, e.g. retirement homes, works' hostels, hostels for the homeless, etc.(exclude-hotels).

Dwelling - is one or more rooms for living and service floor area in a building with solid structure for own use. The dwelling must have an exit to a generally accessible part (stairs, yard or straight on the street).

Non-residential buildings are buildings which are mainly used or intended for use for non-residential purpose.

The non-residential buildings are subdivided into:

• office buildings - buildings used as places for business and administrative purpose, e.g. banks, post offices, government department offices, conference and congress centers, law courts, parliament buildings
• other non-residential buildings - all other buildings not mentioned in the previous definition used for industrial, wholesale and retail trade, traffic and communication, public entertainment, agriculture, education purposes, hospitals, hotels and others.

Gross building area - a sum of all floors areas in external dimensions (including functional areas and covered thoroughfares for ancillary use).

Municipal administrations

The survey is exhaustive and statistical population covers all municipal administrations, which are issued documents for started construction of new buildings.

National level: Data are aggregate and published total and by districts.

From 2010 to the latest quarter of the reference year.

Not applicable.

Number, square meter.

Quarter.

National Legal basis: The Law on Statistics (Article 20) states that all persons that manage or represent legal persons, are obligated to provide the National Statistical Institute and the Bodies of Statistics with reliable data when filling-in forms and questionnaires on surveys included in the National Statistical  Programme, for  which mandatory participation is provided.

The survey is included into the National Statistical Programme adopted annualy by Council of Ministers decision. The Law on Statistics includes provisions relating to fines, which can be imposed for refusal, non-response and delay. They are laid down in specific Chapter 9 “Administrative penalty provisions” in Article 52.

Methodology of indicators is consistent with:

· Regulation (EC) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics;

· Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to the mentioned EBS Regulation (General Implementing Act).

Not applicable.

· Law on Statistics - Saved of statistical confidentiality is in accordance with the privacy of individual data specified in the Statistics Act, which are in accordance with EU legislation. In Chapter VI "Protecion of secrecy" are regulated confidentiality of individual statistical data, use them only for statistical purposes and obligations of the statistical authorities to ensure protection and preventions of individual data. In Chapter IX "Administrative penalty provisions" shows provisions non-compliance with the requirements.

· Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Article 25 of the Law of Statistics defines the criteria by which cannot be distributed or published statistical information. Statistical information which aggregates data about less than three statistical units or about a population in which the relative share of the value of a surveyed parameter of a single unit exceeds 85 percent of the value of such parameter for all units in the population.

Confidential data, accordance with the Law of Statistics not publish. In order not to identify individual data using the method of suppression or aggregation of information disclosed.

The date for publication of statistical information is given in the Release Calendar presenting the results of the statistical surveys carried out by the National Statistical Institute, which is available on NSI website. The data of started construction of new buildings by type and their gross building area are published 30 - 31 days after the reference quarter.

Release calendar. 

The data are published on the NSI website, section Business statistics - Short-term Business Statistics - Other monthly and quarterly data in accordance with the Law on Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice respecting the professional independence and aimed at objectivity, transparency and equal treatment of all consumers.

Quarter.

Data and press release about issued permits and started construction for new buildings publish every quarter - 30 - 31 days after the reference quarter.

Not applicable.

The data are available to all users of the NSI website under the heading Short-term Business Statistics - Other monthly and quarterly data. The data for preceding years are available in the Information System for online requests for statistical information - INFOSTAT. 

On request, according to the rules on data protection.

Not applicable.

• eurostat Methodology papers on of short-term business statistics
• methodology "Construction of new buildings started".

Not applicable.

The legal framework which regulates the production of data from Short-term business statistics states that statistical data compiled within the EU system must be of satisfactory quality and produced data are comparable between Member States. Verification of data is done through the process of conducting a statistical survey - from respondents, from experts in the regional statistical offices and from national experts in NSI. Identified inaccuracies and errors are removed timely and provide comparable data of good quality.

The quality of the short-term indicators is measured by each Member State in accordance with the general criteria. Calculation of the indicators is carried out in accordance with the EBS Regulations.

State governing bodies, associations, businesses, media and other users.

No information.

Provide statistical data on started construction of new buildings on the required level of detail.

There is a maximum accuracy and reliability of the data started construction of new buildings. Common errors are errors in the measurement data, the respondent misunderstanding what information is required or incomplete performance.

Most measurement errors are detected and corrected by arithmetic and logical controls embedded in Information System "Business Cycles" (Online information system for collection, verification and processing of data from short-term business statistics). The system performs mandatory and planned control and warning in case there are errors, it displays a warning dialog inconsistencies found. The system does not allow the completion of the report until all outstanding correct mandatory controls.

The survey is exhaustive.

Actions for non-responders include sending information and reminder letters. In the case of no-responding company, a telephone call and/or direct contact may follow to collect the required data. 

Information about starting construction for new buildings is published 30 - 31 days after the end of reference quarter.

All data rows, tables and press releases are prepared, and submitted for publication within the deadlines specified in the calendar for publication of data.

Data started construction of new buildings are representative for the whole country, by districts and by municipalities.

Available time series of data started construction of new buildings - from 2010.

Data started construction of new buildings are compared from the variables of issued building permits from previous quarter.

Observation is exhaustive, the data are final, and are in accordance with the EBS Regulations.

The online information system for collecting, verifying, and processing data "Business Cycles" reduces the time needed for collecting data from enterprises and ensures more efficient data processing.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

The information is aggregated from the data in Questionnaire for issued and started construction of new buildings. Source of data is construction documents issued from technical services of the municipal authorities.

Quarterly

For the convenience of respondents and getting better and timely information is created online information system "Business Cycles" input data for started construction for new buildings. The system controls are set to ensure the accuracy of the information. Possibility remains that the respondent submits monthly report and a paper in the relevant regional statistical office (RSO). Experts from RSOs phone calls to provide timely information or clarification of the data.

Validation data starts from the filling of reports by respondents. Control of the data can be accessed from the regional statistical offices and from the National Statistical Institute. An information system "Business Cycles" significantly contributes to the validation of the data submitted by set arithmetic and logical controls. Subsequent analysis of the experts, a phone call for additional clarification of data and elimination inconsistencies, minimize errors in the raw data and ensure accuracy of outputs at national level.

Data started construction of new buildings are made by municipal authorities on the paper and send to RSOs or online through an information system "Business Cycles". After validating the data by RSOs and after the deadline for entering, experts of NSI made a final control, and aggregate output for total of country and by districts.

Not applicable.