Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) (Statistics Netherlands)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Restricted from publication
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Restricted from publication
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
4 August 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
4 August 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
4 August 2025
3.1. Data description
Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (STEC) statistics provide information on the types of enterprises engaged in international trade in services and show how enterprises in different industries supply services and how this relates to their primary activity. STEC disclose additional insights into trade statistics, by allowing the profiling of the enterprises according to selected characteristics such as number of employees, type of ownership and economic activity.
A+B - Agriculture, forestry, and fishing; mining and quarrying,
D+E - Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities,
I+L+O+P+Q+R+S+T+U - Accommodation and food service activities; real estate activities; public administration, defence; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities; other services.
· NACE Sections:
C - Manufacturing,
F - Construction,
G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles,
H - Transportation and storage,
J - Information and communication,
K - Financial and insurance activities,
M - Professional, scientific, and technical activities,
N - Administrative and support service activities.
1. Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others
2. Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.
3. Transport
4. Travel
5. Construction
6. Insurance and pension services
7. Financial services
8. Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e.
9. Telecommunications, computer, and information services
10. Other business services
10.1. Research and development services
10.2. Professional and management consulting services
10.3. Technical, trade-related, and other business services
11. Personal, cultural and recreational services
12. Government goods and services, n.i.e.
3.5. Statistical unit
Enterprise.
3.6. Statistical population
All Dutch enterprises engaged in the international trade of services.
The activity breakdown covers NACE sections from A to U.
The product breakdown covers EBOPS 2010 main items.
3.7. Reference area
The Netherlands.
The country code list follows the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 classification and is a cross-domain code list, used also in business statistics, balance of payment, national accounts and regular International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS).
The reported partner breakdowns are:
B6 = Intra EU
D6 = Extra EU
W1 = World/Total
3.8. Coverage - Time
Reference year 2023.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The data are presented in thousands of Euro.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics sets the data requirements in the field of services trade by enterprise characteristics for the EU Member States and EFTA countries. The exact technical specifications are listed in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, table 17 "Country-level business statistics on trade in services by enterprise characteristics (STEC) – annual data".
The variable are be reported annually with first reference year 2022.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Only data already available within Statistics Netherlands were used. The two most important sources are the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) and information from the General Business Register.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Section 37 of the Statistics Netherlands Act addresses the use and confidentiality of data obtained under its legal mandate. The confidentiality policy of Statistics Netherlands ensures that statistical information regarding the international trade of services is published in a manner that prevents the identification of individual persons, households, enterprises, or institutions.
The confidentiality framework distinguishes between primary and secondary confidentiality:
Primary Confidentiality: Ensures that data from individual units (enterprises, institutions, households or persons) can never be directly inferred from the statistical information provided
The implementation of this safeguard relies on two simple basic rules:
1 - Data will not be published if it originates from fewer than 'N' individual companies; and
2 - Data will not be published if one individual company is responsible for more than 'X' percent of the data
Secondary Confidentiality (Support Confidentiality): Safeguards primary confidential cells by ensuring that additional related cells are also protected from disclosure.
Primary confidential data can sometimes still be calculated based on other, non-confidential cells or totals if no additional measures are taken. To prevent this, some cells - which do not have a confidential status - are also excluded from publication.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
A table cell is flagged as confidential if there are fewer than 3 contributors to the cell total (minimum frequency rule) or if one individual contributor is responsible for more than 81 percent of the total trade value in this specific cell (concentration rule). This prevents individual contributors from being identified. Secondary confidentiality checks, as well as internal consistency checks between the three separate STEC tables and cross-domain checks (i.e., consistency with regular ITSS), are also applied.
8.1. Release calendar
At the moment, STEC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 8.1 ‘Release calendar’ of the general Eurostat STEC metadata.
In the future, STEC data may also be published by Statistics Netherlands.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
At the moment, STEC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 8.3 ‘Release policy - user access’ of the general Eurostat STEC metadata.
In the future, STEC data may also be published by Statistics Netherlands.
Annually.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
No news/press releases planned yet.
Statistics Netherlands might use STEC data for news articles on the international trade in services.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
No publications planned yet.
Statistics Netherlands might use STEC data for publications on the international trade in services.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
At the moment, STEC data are only disseminated by Eurostat.
In the future, STEC data may also be published by Statistics Netherlands, using the StatLine database.
Eurostat assessed the completeness and accessibility of the 2023 dataset by evaluating the proportion of mandatory cells reported and the extent of confidentiality.
All mandatory cells across all tables were fully reported (100%), while approximately 11% of the dataset was flagged as confidential.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Statistics Netherlands has regular contacts with internal and external business partners in order to assure that users' needs are met and to assure relevancy and usefulness of statistics and applied methodologies. Statistics Netherlands also participates in a variety of statistical meetings and seminars organized by international organizations (for instance Eurostat, OECD and the Nordic meeting on Trade in Goods and Services). In these meetings, new and emerging data requirements are identified and discussed. Statistics Netherlands is receptive to remarks and requests from the users of its statistics.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Occasionally, Statistics Netherlands discusses user needs and user satisfaction with respect to international trade in services statistics with internal and external users. Important users include the National Accounts department and various research departments within Statistics Netherlands, as well as the Dutch Central Bank and various Ministries. In addition to this there is a Customer Council within Statistics Netherlands, which acts as a consultation platform and advisory board, offering both solicited and unsolicited advice on products and services to CBS.
12.3. Completeness
All content requirements originating from relevant legislation, regulations and guidelines are met.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
100% of required data cells are provided
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy of STEC data depends not only on the precision of trade in services statistics (ITSS) but also on the quality of the trade and business registers. In ITSS, accuracy is pursued by minimizing all non-sampling errors as much as possible.
Revisions in Dutch international trade in services figures can be substantial, as initial figures may undergo significant changes when more accurate and comprehensive data becomes available. This is particularly true for Special Purpose Entities (SPEs). SPEs are companies often established for specific financial or legal purposes, such as tax optimization or facilitating international investments. These entities typically have minimal physical presence and few employees in the Netherlands, and their financial activities can lead to considerable fluctuations in reported economic data. Consequently, due to the significant number of SPEs in the Netherlands, initial international trade in services figures may experience substantial revisions as more accurate and comprehensive data from these SPEs become available.
Also see item 13.1 ‘Accuracy - overall’ of the general Eurostat STEC metadata.
13.2. Sampling error
To reduce sampling errors, several improvements have been implemented in the compilation of International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) in recent years. An important example includes the new sampling design based on an enhanced stratification strategy that was implemented in 2020. This new stratification was also used in the compilation of STEC.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
The accuracy of STEC data is primarily affected by issues in the collection and compilation of trade in services statistics, such as thresholds, non-response, delayed declarations, estimated or imputed trade values, and statistical weighting. Additionally, the accuracy of general business registers plays a significant role.
Occasional issues may arise in linking the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) with the Business Register. These issues often stem from complex business structures, missing or estimated data, and the fact that a small portion of ITSS data collection does not occur directly at the enterprise level. This necessitates an initial linkage (bridging) to the enterprise level.
13.3.1. Coverage error
The basis of STEC compilation is an integral microdata file including all Dutch companies expected to engage in international services trade, including an estimation of their services trade. This file contains the entire target population.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
No information available
13.3.2. Measurement error
Measurement errors in ITSS and STEC can have several causes. Important sources of measurement errors may arise from non-response, sampling errors, or processing errors.
The impact of non-response is minimized by the fact that the ITSS survey is obligatory (i.e., non-responding enterprises can be fined), by sending multiple reminders to non-responding enterprises, and by specifically contacting non-responding enterprises that are expected to be major contributors to either total services trade or specific services categories. Furthermore, responses are validated in multiple ways. During the data collection phase itself, the software automatically checks if the submitted numbers are very different from previous quarters and asks for an explanation. Subsequently, the data are checked at the micro level. For instance, developments at the level of the statistical entity (which is usually an enterprise) are checked against previous quarters and years to ensure internal consistency (i.e., compared to the firm’s history), and the VAT information exchange system (more specifically the intra-Community trade declarations) is used as a frame of reference and as a lower limit to intra-EU trade. Additionally, quarterly and annual top-down analyses of the largest mutations over time and checks for consistency with developments at the macro, meso, and micro levels take place. For instance, when the costs of transport are increasing internationally due to supply chain interruptions, it makes sense that the value of transport imports and exports increases substantially for some firms.
Sampling errors are minimized by a new survey design implemented in 2020, and processing errors are minimized by continuously improving the compilation process.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
See 13.3.2.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
No information available.
14.1. Timeliness
The data transmission deadline for all tables is by 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18M). The first reference period is 2022, i.e. the first data transmission has taken place by the end of June 2024. The second reference period is 2023, i.e. the second data transmission took place by the end of June 2025.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
The data transmission deadline for a particular reference year is by 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18M). Potential revisions will be implemented one year later (T+30M).
14.2. Punctuality
Final transmission date: 27 June 2025
Data transmission deadline: 30 June 2025
The submitted data successfully passed validation.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data are comparable, international standards are applied.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Reference year 2023 is fully comparable with reference year 2022, as both are based on the same methodology.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
The time series contains two reference periods.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
In general, comparability between International Trade in Services Statistics and Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics statistics is ensured by the application of common concepts and definitions of BPM6, the 2008SNA/ESA2010 and MSITS 2010.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The sets of output (the three separate STEC tables) are internally consistent.
STEC data are obtained without increasing the response burden for enterprises, as STEC is not gathered through surveys but is compiled using existing official data sources maintained by Statistics Netherlands. Specifically, STEC data are generated by linking microdata on trade in services with business characteristics.
Information collected for the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS), which is part of the Balance of Payments compilation, provides details on the monetary value of trade in services, categorized by service type and partner country. By integrating these trade data with information from the business register, which contains information about enterprise characteristics, STEC statistics are compiled.
17.1. Data revision - policy
The data transmission deadline for a particular reference year is by 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18M). Potential revisions will be implemented one year later (T+30M).
17.2. Data revision - practice
No revisions to report.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
STEC is compiled by integrating data from the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS), which provides details on the monetary value of trade in services categorized by service type and partner country, with information from the business register, which includes enterprise characteristics.
Approximately 85 percent of both services imports and exports in Dutch ITSS are measured using a survey among enterprises. The data collected via these surveys can be linked to the general business register of Statistics Netherlands. The remaining 15 percent originates from other sources that cover specific types of services or populations, such as travel, government services, CIF/FOB corrections on transport services, and various estimates for financial and insurance services (some of which cannot be directly observed). Typically, these sources cannot be linked to the business register because they are based on surveys of individuals or households (e.g., travel) or rely on estimations that cannot be allocated to individual enterprises. In accordance with international guidelines and Eurostat regulations, this part of services trade is included in the “Unknown” category when considering the enterprise characteristics. This ensures that the totals remain consistent with ITSS and Balance of Payments data.
The Dutch ITSS survey uses a stratified sample that ensures the selected enterprises represent the vast majority of total services trade by Dutch enterprises. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of all services traded by Dutch enterprises are captured in the survey, with the remaining 10 percent being adjusted using statistical weighting techniques/grossing up. While the sample covers most of the trade value, the sampled enterprises represent less than 2 percent of all Dutch enterprises, making it challenging to break down service trade by business characteristics.
To address this issue, a comprehensive microdata file for International Trade in Services has been used. This dataset is developed by Statistics Netherlands and includes all enterprises established in the Netherlands expected to engage in international trade in services, along with the estimated volume of their trade. This file is compiled using data from the regular ITSS survey, supplemented by estimates for non-surveyed enterprises based on secondary data such as VAT data and data from the International Trade in Goods Statistics (ITGS). The regular survey data and the comprehensive microdata file are combined and linked to the general business register to provide a detailed picture of total services trade by enterprise characteristics. As previously mentioned, trade that cannot be linked to individual enterprises is included in the “Unknown” category for enterprise characteristics.
For enterprises included in the sample, the unweighted trade values are taken directly from the survey data. For enterprises not included in the sample, trade values are sourced from the comprehensive microdata file. To ensure that the total trade values for these firms align with the total adjustment resulting from statistical weighting in ITSS, these values are first rescaled. This rescaling ensures consistency with the ITSS totals. Since the comprehensive microdata file does not contain detailed information about the types of services traded, data from the survey sampling frame is used to allocate the trade values of these enterprises to specific EBOPS items.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual.
18.3. Data collection
STEC is compiled by integrating data from the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) with information from the General Business Register (GBS). Data collection practices therefore follow ITSS and GBS collection practices.
18.4. Data validation
STEC is compiled by integrating data from the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) with information from the General Business Register (GBS). Validation practices therefore follow ITSS and GBS validation practices.
18.5. Data compilation
See section 18.1
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
STEC is compiled by integrating data from the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) with information from the General Business Register (GBS). Imputation practices therefore follow ITSS and GBS imputation practices.
18.6. Adjustment
See section 18.1
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (STEC) statistics provide information on the types of enterprises engaged in international trade in services and show how enterprises in different industries supply services and how this relates to their primary activity. STEC disclose additional insights into trade statistics, by allowing the profiling of the enterprises according to selected characteristics such as number of employees, type of ownership and economic activity.
A+B - Agriculture, forestry, and fishing; mining and quarrying,
D+E - Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities,
I+L+O+P+Q+R+S+T+U - Accommodation and food service activities; real estate activities; public administration, defence; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities; other services.
· NACE Sections:
C - Manufacturing,
F - Construction,
G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles,
H - Transportation and storage,
J - Information and communication,
K - Financial and insurance activities,
M - Professional, scientific, and technical activities,
N - Administrative and support service activities.
1. Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others
2. Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.
3. Transport
4. Travel
5. Construction
6. Insurance and pension services
7. Financial services
8. Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e.
9. Telecommunications, computer, and information services
10. Other business services
10.1. Research and development services
10.2. Professional and management consulting services
10.3. Technical, trade-related, and other business services
11. Personal, cultural and recreational services
12. Government goods and services, n.i.e.
Enterprise.
All Dutch enterprises engaged in the international trade of services.
The activity breakdown covers NACE sections from A to U.
The product breakdown covers EBOPS 2010 main items.
The Netherlands.
The country code list follows the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 classification and is a cross-domain code list, used also in business statistics, balance of payment, national accounts and regular International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS).
The reported partner breakdowns are:
B6 = Intra EU
D6 = Extra EU
W1 = World/Total
Calendar year.
The accuracy of STEC data depends not only on the precision of trade in services statistics (ITSS) but also on the quality of the trade and business registers. In ITSS, accuracy is pursued by minimizing all non-sampling errors as much as possible.
Revisions in Dutch international trade in services figures can be substantial, as initial figures may undergo significant changes when more accurate and comprehensive data becomes available. This is particularly true for Special Purpose Entities (SPEs). SPEs are companies often established for specific financial or legal purposes, such as tax optimization or facilitating international investments. These entities typically have minimal physical presence and few employees in the Netherlands, and their financial activities can lead to considerable fluctuations in reported economic data. Consequently, due to the significant number of SPEs in the Netherlands, initial international trade in services figures may experience substantial revisions as more accurate and comprehensive data from these SPEs become available.
Also see item 13.1 ‘Accuracy - overall’ of the general Eurostat STEC metadata.
The data are presented in thousands of Euro.
See section 18.1
STEC is compiled by integrating data from the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS), which provides details on the monetary value of trade in services categorized by service type and partner country, with information from the business register, which includes enterprise characteristics.
Approximately 85 percent of both services imports and exports in Dutch ITSS are measured using a survey among enterprises. The data collected via these surveys can be linked to the general business register of Statistics Netherlands. The remaining 15 percent originates from other sources that cover specific types of services or populations, such as travel, government services, CIF/FOB corrections on transport services, and various estimates for financial and insurance services (some of which cannot be directly observed). Typically, these sources cannot be linked to the business register because they are based on surveys of individuals or households (e.g., travel) or rely on estimations that cannot be allocated to individual enterprises. In accordance with international guidelines and Eurostat regulations, this part of services trade is included in the “Unknown” category when considering the enterprise characteristics. This ensures that the totals remain consistent with ITSS and Balance of Payments data.
The Dutch ITSS survey uses a stratified sample that ensures the selected enterprises represent the vast majority of total services trade by Dutch enterprises. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of all services traded by Dutch enterprises are captured in the survey, with the remaining 10 percent being adjusted using statistical weighting techniques/grossing up. While the sample covers most of the trade value, the sampled enterprises represent less than 2 percent of all Dutch enterprises, making it challenging to break down service trade by business characteristics.
To address this issue, a comprehensive microdata file for International Trade in Services has been used. This dataset is developed by Statistics Netherlands and includes all enterprises established in the Netherlands expected to engage in international trade in services, along with the estimated volume of their trade. This file is compiled using data from the regular ITSS survey, supplemented by estimates for non-surveyed enterprises based on secondary data such as VAT data and data from the International Trade in Goods Statistics (ITGS). The regular survey data and the comprehensive microdata file are combined and linked to the general business register to provide a detailed picture of total services trade by enterprise characteristics. As previously mentioned, trade that cannot be linked to individual enterprises is included in the “Unknown” category for enterprise characteristics.
For enterprises included in the sample, the unweighted trade values are taken directly from the survey data. For enterprises not included in the sample, trade values are sourced from the comprehensive microdata file. To ensure that the total trade values for these firms align with the total adjustment resulting from statistical weighting in ITSS, these values are first rescaled. This rescaling ensures consistency with the ITSS totals. Since the comprehensive microdata file does not contain detailed information about the types of services traded, data from the survey sampling frame is used to allocate the trade values of these enterprises to specific EBOPS items.
Annually.
The data transmission deadline for all tables is by 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18M). The first reference period is 2022, i.e. the first data transmission has taken place by the end of June 2024. The second reference period is 2023, i.e. the second data transmission took place by the end of June 2025.
Data are comparable, international standards are applied.
Reference year 2023 is fully comparable with reference year 2022, as both are based on the same methodology.
