National Statistical Institute

'Annual Business Statistics' Department

Maya Simeonova

Head of department

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

mysimeonova@nsi.bg

+359 2 9857 179

Starting reference year 2021 onwards SBS cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96. The SBS survey of non-financial enterprises covers sections B to N (excluding K) and division S95, according to NACE.BG-2008, which are divided into four annexes - Industry (B, C, D and E), Construction (F), Distributive Trades (G) and Services (H, I, J, L, M, N and S95). For the period 2002 - 2007 the data were compiled by NACE.BG-2003 and were observed only sections C to I and section K. Since 2008 the data are compiled by NACE.BG-2008.

The annual data of non-financial enterprises are aggregated by sections (the first sign of NACE.BG-2008 and NACE.BG-2003).

The annual data, grouping by size class: the indicators are published on section level (the first sign of NACE.BG-2008 and NACE.BG-2003) and by size class of employment.

Annual regional data: Three indicators are published on a regional level by sections (the first sign of NACE.BG-2008 and NACE.BG-2003) and by statistical regions (NUTS).

The type and the content of the indicators and the aggregate levels are fully compliant with the European regulations on SBS, detailed in 'Legal acts and rules'.

• Classification of Economic Activities (CEA-2008, for international use NACE.BG-2008) - for the period 2002 - 2007;
• National Classification of Economic Activities (NCEA-2003, for international use NACE.BG-2003) - in force since 2008;
• Classification of territorial units for statistical purposes in Bulgaria (NUTS) - (version 14.02.2009 and 19.06.2006).

Starting reference year 2021 onwards SBS cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96. Non-financial enterprises, classified in sections B to N (excluding K) and division S95 by NACE.BG-2008 from 2008 onwards, sections C to I and section K by NACE.BG-2003 for the period 2002 - 2007.

The main SBS indicators are:

• 'Number of enterprises' (11 11 0) - all non-financial enterprises, which were active during whole or part of the reference year and have submitted their annual reports in the National statistical Institute or National Revenue Agency (have realised revenue from sales or have had at least one person employed);
• 'Number of local units' (11 21 0) - all separated parts of the enterprises, which were active during all or part of the reference year and for which the enterprises have submitted completed 'Information for the local units' as an integral part of their annual reports (there are realised revenue from sales or they have had at least one person employed);
• 'Turnover' (12 11 0) - The value of all revenue from sales of own products, goods bought and sold in the same condition, services provided and row materials sold, including accrued excise duties, which are invoiced during the reference period. It does not include the revenue from sales of fixed assets, the income from financing, the financial and the extraordinary revenue. The value of turnover does not include accrued taxes on the type of value added tax (VAT) which are charged to the end user;
• 'Production value' (12 12 0) - The value of turnover, reduced by the balance sheet of assets sold without own fixed assets. The changes in stocks of products and work in progress, as well as the costs incurred to acquire the assets by economic means are also included;
• 'Value added at factor cost' (12 15 0) - The production value, reduced by the amount of the excise duties and operating expenses, excluding those for the personnel and for depreciation, and increased by the income from financing;
• 'Purchase of goods and services' (13 11 0) - The value of all purchased goods and services during the reference period, intended for production use, resale in the same condition or stocks;
• 'Personnel costs' (13 31 0) - The value of all remuneration and insurances to employees (including mandatory and voluntary insurance) made by the employer during the reference period, as well as the social insurances paid and the amounts of civil contracts and fees to persons, working only under civil contracts, that do not work for another employer;
• 'Wages and salaries' (13 32 0) - value of all remuneration paid to employees (including home workers and seasonal workers) based on spent time and/or output, as well as the amounts of civil contracts and fees to persons, working only under civil contracts, that do not work for another employer;
• 'Number of persons employed' (16 11 0) - All persons employed working in a given enterprise on full or part-time, including seasonal workers, home workers, working owners, employees under contract for management and control, employees in civil contracts that do not work with another employer and unpaid family workers. It does not include those absent for an unlimited time, as well as those provided under contract by other companies.

SBS data refer to statistical unit enterprise.
From reference year 2018 onwards, the statistical unit enterprise is in line with the definition of Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 of 15 March 1993:
The enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit. The impact of the implementation of the statistical unit “enterprise” in 2018 on the time series of the Structural Business Statistics for some of the indicators can be seen here: https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/Assessing_the_impact_of_the_implementation_of_the_Statistical_Unit_enterprise_in_SBS.pdf
Regional SBS data refer to local units.
The local unit is an enterprise or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place. At or from this place economic activity is carried out for which - save for certain exceptions - one or more persons work (even if only part-time) for one and the same enterprise.

Starting reference year 2021 onwards SBS cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96. The SBS survey is exhaustive and the statistical population includes all non-financial enterprises classified in sections B to N (excluding K) and division S95 by NACE.BG-2008 from 2008 onwards, sections C to I and section K by NACE.BG-2003 for the period 2002 - 2007.

The data refer to the activities of non-financial enterprises carried out in the country.

Since 2008 (the data are calculated by NACE.BG-2008);

2002-2007 (the data are calculated by NACE.BG-2003).

Not applicable.

• Number (enterprises, local units, persons employed);
• Thousand BGN (all other indicators).

Calendar year

European SBS Regulations:

• Regulation (EC) № 295/2008 of 11 March 2008 concerning SBS (recast);
• Regulation (EC) № 250/2009 of 11 March 2009 - definition of characteristics and technical format for the transmission of SBS data;
• Regulation (EC) № 251/2009 of 11 March 2009 - the series of data for SBS;
• Regulation (EC) № 223/2009 of 11 March 2009 - statistical confidentiality and transmission of confidential data to Eurostat;
• Regulation (EC) № 275/2010 of 30 March 2010 - criteria for the evaluation of the quality of SBS data;
• Regulation (EC) № 1893/2006 of 20 December 2006 - establishing NACE Rev.2;
• Regulation (EC) № 58/97 of 20 December 1996 - concerning SBS;
• Regulation (EC) № 2700/98 of 17 December 1998 - definition of characteristics, amended by Regulation (EC) № 1670/2003 of 1 September 2003;
• Regulation (EC) № 2701/98 of 17 December 1998 - the series of data for SBS, amended by Regulation (EC) № 1669/2003 of 1 September 2003;
• Regulation (EC) № 2702/98 of 17 December 1998 - technical format for the transmission of SBS data, amended by Regulation (EC) № 1668/2003 of 1 September 2003;
• Regulation (EC) № 1618/1999 of 23 July 1999 - criteria for the evaluation of the quality of SBS data;
• Regulation (EC) № 1614/2002 of 6 September 2002 - amending the definitions, data series and technical format.

• Starting with reference year 2021 two new regulations currently form the legal basis of SBS:

  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements (general implementing act) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152

      Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (EBS Regulation), and

Bulgarian legislation:

• Law on Statistics;
• National Statistical Programme;
• Accounting and tax legislation.

The SBS data are provided to Eurostat in accordance with the SBS Regulations. The same data are used to fill other international questionnaires (UNIDO) and data exchange under signed agreements, ensuring the protection of confidential information.

Regulation (EC) № 223/2009 of 11 March 2009 defines common criteria for protection of confidential data and methods for sending the information to and its use by Eurostat. The Law on Statistics ensures the protection of statistical confidentiality and the use of individual data of enterprises for statistical purposes only.

The individual (primary) data are confidential according to the Law on Statistics and European legislation. To ensure their protection and inability to be identified, the aggregated indicators are also defined as confidential when:

• Criterion A - the indicator is calculated from one or two enterprises;
• Criterion B - one enterprise forms 85% or more of the total value of this indicator.

The data are published in accordance with the deadline specified in the Release Calendar presenting the results of the statistical surveys carried out by the National Statistical Institute.

The calendar is available on the NSI website: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/480

Data are published on the NSI website and are available to all users of statistical information.

Yearly

Regular press release for the preliminary SBS data.

• Statistical Yearbook;
• Statistical Reference Book;
• Brochure 'Bulgaria'.

The SBS data are available to all users of the NSI website under the heading Business statistics - Annual Business Statistics - Structural Business Statistics - Non-financial Enterprises:

• Annual data - NACE.BG 2008: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/8057  
• Annual data by size class - NACE.BG 2008: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/8107
• Annual regional data - NACE.BG 2008: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/8157

Not available.

Information service on request, according to the Rules for dissemination of statistical products and services of NSI.

Eurostat's methodological manual concerning SBS data, based on the European legislation on SBS and the harmonised national legislation in the same field: http://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/metadata/SBS_Methodology_KID2008_NF_2_EN.pdf

National quality reports according to the SBS Regulations: http://www.nsi.bg/en/node/8057

This includes the improvement of the on-line based information system 'Business statistics', which ensures strict arithmetical and logical input control. The additional output control is made when are registered the big differences in the value of given indicator between two consecutive years or in comparison with the results of other statistical surveys in NSI - Short-term statistics, statistics Prodcom, Foreign trade, Labor force.

This is made in accordance with the standard criteria for assessing the quality - relevance, accuracy and reliability, timeliness, comparability and coherence.

The main users of SBS data are:

• Eurostat and other international organizations;
• Interested state institutions under signed agreements;
• Research institutes, universities, economic analysts and students;
• Private non-governmental organizations, agencies, associations, media etc;
• Directorates and departments in the NSI.

There has been no study of user satisfaction, but no cases of outstanding requests for information are registered.

For the period 2002-2008 the requirements of European regulations are met with a few exceptions, but since 2009 the compliance has been 100%.

The statistical data have good accuracy and reliability.

The SBS survey is exhaustive and there are no sampling errors.

Not applicable.

The deadlines for the publication of SBS data on national level are t+8 months for the preliminary data and t+11 months for the final data. In the Eurostat the preliminary and the final SBS data will be sent after t+10 months and t+18 months respectively, where t is the reference year.

The deadlines for publication are strictly followed.

The methodology for calculating the SBS indicators is fully harmonized with the European legislation on SBS, which ensures comparability of data between Bulgaria and the other EU Member States, which have also fulfilled these requirements.

The comparability of the data is limited by the use of different classifications of economic activities (NACE.BG-2008 and NACE.BG-2003), if there is a difference in the scope of the activity. The data series are fully comparable for the period 2008 - the last reference year, and the period 2002-2007.

A study, conducted by Eurostat for the differences between logically related data from various surveys, have shown that the data differ in the range of 1%, which is quite normal and is due to different methodology or source.

Between interrelated SBS data series (a common module and data grouping by size-class of employment) there are no differences, but between the data of common module and the regional data the differences are methodological - the calculation of the first is based on the enterprise, while the second is based on the local unit.

NSI of Bulgaria is making extraordinary efforts to reduce the respondents' burden. An example is the signed agreement called 'Single Entry Point' between NSI and the National Revenue Agency for a single providing of the annual reports and using the data from both institutions. Developed by NSI on-line based information system 'Business Statistics' and ensured methodological and technical assistance to respondents during the reporting campaign are highly appreciated by respondents and help to reduce their workload.

The National policy, as well as Eurostat's, allows the revision of already published data if there are serious reasons. Any revisions made in the national data are reflected in the aggregated data for the European Union.

The revised data replace the already published data as soon as possible after the revision is made.

The main data sources for calculating the SBS data are:

• Annual Report of the non-financial enterprises, compiling balance sheets;
• Annual Report of the non-financial enterprises, non-compiling balance sheets.

Yearly

Exhaustively for all non-financial enterprises covered in the SBS survey.

Data validation is made by additional logical input control and comparison between the output data and the results of the previous year and other surveys, carried out by NSI.

The survey is exhaustive and further data evaluation is not made. The SBS indicators are calculated on the enterprise (local unit) level and are aggregated in accordance with the requirements of the SBS regulations.

Not applicable.