In the decade leading to the publication of this handbook a strong drive took place in the European Union to come to the creation of harmonized business statistics. With the adoption in December 1996 of the Council regulation concerning structural business statistics a last building block was added to a comprehensive statistical infrastructure comprising concepts, classifications, methods and tools.

With a new legislative groundwork in the process of being implemented Eurostat felt the need to provide to European statisticians a training document on the subject. The objective of such a book would not be to provide definitions, fixed methods or rules. Rather the created “Handbook on the design and implementation of business surveys” gives in a step by step approach guidelines. A set of pragmatic ideas for making good statistics.

This manual has been created by Ad Willeboordse of the CBS - Statistics Netherlands on the request of and in close cooperation with Eurostat D2 under the responsibility of Mr. Marco Lancetti. The views in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission.

Custodian: Eurostat