All Member States of the European Union maintain business registers for statistical purposes as a tool for the preparation and coordination of surveys, as a source of information for the statistical analysis of the business population and its demography, for the use of administrative data, and for the identification and construction of statistical units. The Regulation (EC) No 177/2008 of the European Parliament and the Council (EC) sets out a common framework for the harmonisation of the national business registers for statistical purposes and Article 7 of the Regulation asks for the publication of a business register recommendation manual. The manual aims to explain the reasoning behind the provisions of the Regulation. It aims to provide the extra information required for the correct and consistent interpretation of the Regulation in all countries. This second edition of the manual is derived from the first one published in 2003 and replaces it. The manual has been updated in close cooperation with the Member States.

Custodian: Eurostat