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.
International trade in goods statistics (ITGS) published by Eurostat measure the value and quantity of goods traded between the EU Member States (intra-EU trade) and goods traded by the EU Member States with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). ‘Goods’ means all movable property including electricity. ‘European’ means that the statistics are compiled on the basis of the concepts and definitions set out in EU legislation.
Trade by invoicing currency (TIC) data are part of the information available for extra-EU trade. The invoicing currency is the currency in which the commercial invoice is drawn up. Data by invoicing currency can be used for instance to explore the use of the euro in the EU’s international trade, to compare it with the role of the United States dollar (USD) or to analyse the role of the euro in the euro area and in the EU. These statistics are very useful to central banks, including the European Central Bank, for comparing the euro with other major international currencies. These data are also used by financial market segments or foreign investors.
Statistical dimensions available for TIC data:
reporting country;
partner country;
reference period;
trade flows;
product; and
currency.
3.2. Classification system
Product classification
The Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) is managed by the United Nations and correlated with the subheadings of the Harmonised System. SITC Rev. 4 comprises 2 970 basing headings which are aggregated into 262 groups, 67 divisions and 10 sections. TIC data are based on the section level complemented by the division 33 ‘oil”.
Country classification
The ‘Nomenclature of countries and territories for the external trade statistics of the Union and statistics of trade between Member States’, known as the ‘Geonomenclature’, is used to collect detailed statistics on exchanges of goods. TIC data are only disseminated at an aggregated partner level: partner ‘extra-EU’ for TIC data reported by the EU Member States and partner ‘world’ for the TIC data reported by the EFTA and enlargement countries. See the publication Geonomenclature applicable to European statistics on international trade in goods for more information (European business statistics geonomenclature applicable to European statistics on international trade in goods - 2023 edition - Products Manuals and Guidelines - Eurostat (europa.eu)).
3.3. Coverage - sector
The scope of TIC data is the same as for monthly detailed data on extra-EU trade in goods. They cover all goods entering (imports) or leaving (exports) the national statistical territory and for which the trading partner is a non-EU country. Note that the statistical territory of the country corresponds to its customs territory.
As ITGS in general, TIC data cover all sectors of the economy.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Reporting country – Except for some specific goods like vessels and aircraft, ITGS follow the physical movements of the goods. A country should record an import when goods enter its statistical territory and an export when goods leave that territory except if those goods are in simple transit.
Partner country – At detailed level, this is the last known country of destination for exports and the country of origin for imports. However individual partner countries are not kept in the dissemination of data by invoicing currency. They are replaced by the partner area ‘extra-EU’.
Product – Goods are primarily classified by commodity code as set out in the EU Combined Nomenclature. TIC data are compiled on the basis of a correspondence table enabling the transposition of detailed data collected according to the Combined Nomenclature into the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC).
From reference year 2016 to reference year 2020, TIC data is available for three product groups:
Raw materials without oil (SITC sections 0-4, excluding division 33),
Oil (SITC division 33)
Manufactured products (SITC sections 5-8)
From the reference year 2021, TIC data is available for the following product groups:
Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere (SITC section 9)
Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials (SITC division 33)
Currency – The invoicing currency is the currency in which the commercial invoice is drawn up. Its definition is provided by the customs legislation.
From reference year 2016 to reference year 2020, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
euro;
national currencies of EU Member States not belonging to the euro area;
US dollar; and
‘other’ (i.e. aggregated group of currencies of all non-EU countries except the United States).
Starting from the reference year 2021, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Croatian kuna
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Serbian Dinar
Starting from the reference year 2022, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Croatian kuna
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Iceland krone
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
As of January 2023, the Republic of Croatia abandoned its currency Croatian кuna and switched to the euro, so the only change compared to 2022 on the list of currencies is the absence of the Croatian кuna:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Iceland krone
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
The changes in 2024 compared to 2023 are the addition of three new currencies: Georgian lari, Moldovan leu, and Ukraine hryvnia. So the list of currencies is as follows:
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Icelandic krona
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
Georgian lari
Moldovan leu
Ukraine hryvnia
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical unit is any natural and legal person lodging a customs declaration in the reporting country on the condition that the customs procedure is of statistical relevance.
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population comprise all the legal or natural persons who lodged a customs declaration with the National Customs Authority.
For data transmission to Eurostat – Trade values (in national currency units) by invoicing currency. The value of traded goods is calculated at the national frontier, on a FOB (free on board) basis for exports and a CIF (cost, insurance, freight) basis for imports. Hence, only incidental expenses (freight, insurance) are included and they are incurred for:
exports in the part of the journey located on the territory of the country where the goods are exported from;
imports in the part of the journey located outside the territory of the country where the goods are imported to.
For data dissemination on Eurostat website – Share of each invoicing currency in extra-EU imports and exports for EU Member States, or in world imports and exports for EFTA and enlargement countries
Theoretically, the reference period for the information on international trade in goods transactions should be the calendar month of export or import of the goods. However, in practice the reference period is generally the calendar month during which the customs declaration is accepted by the National Customs Authority.
The reference years for which TIC data are disseminated result from the aggregation of monthly figures from January to December.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1225 specifying the arrangements for the data exchanges and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, as regards the Member State of extra-Union export and the obligations of reporting units;
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1704 further specifying the details for the statistical information to be provided by tax and customs authorities and amending Annexes V and VI of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152.
Extra-EU trade legislation (or Extrastat)
Basic Act:
Regulation (EC) No 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council
Implementing Commission Regulation (EC) No 92/2010;
Implementing Commission Regulation (EC) No 113/2010.
All regulations relevant for the European statistics on international trade in goods can be found in the publication Legislation on European statistics on international trade in goods or consulted from the Legislation page of the International trade in goods section on Eurostat website. All legal texts of the EU are accessible on Eur-Lex.
As a general definition, data used by national and EU authorities for producing statistics are considered confidential if statistical units can be identified, either directly or indirectly, and information about individuals or businesses is disclosed as a result.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Data by invoicing currency are not detailed enough to make it possible to identify a specific trader. Therefore no specific data treatment applies.
8.1. Release calendar
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 8.1 ‘Release calendar’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency (TIC)’ for more details.
8.2. Release calendar access
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 8.2 ‘Release calendar access’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
8.3. Release policy - user access
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 8.3 ‘Release policy - user access’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 9 ‘Frequency of dissemination’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 10.1 ‘Dissemination format - News release’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 10.2 ‘Dissemination format - Publications’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 10.3 ‘Dissemination format - online database’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 10.6 ‘Documentation on methodology' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
100%
10.7. Quality management - documentation
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 10.7 ‘Quality management - documentation’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
11.1. Quality assurance
See item 11.2 ‘Quality management - assessment' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
See item 11.2 ‘Quality management - assessment' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
See item 11.2 ‘Quality management - assessment’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tec_sims - International trade in goods – trade by enterprise characteristics (TEC)’.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 12.1 ‘Relevance - User Needs’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 12.2 ‘Relevance - User Satisfaction’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
12.3. Completeness
See item 12.3 ‘Completeness’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
See item 15.1 ‘Comparability - geographical' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
There were no changes, so the data are comparable in the entire series from 2017 to 2024.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
TIC data disseminated by Eurostat
The time series from 2017 to 2024 is available.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
See item 15.3 ‘Coherence - cross domain' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
See item 15.4 ‘Coherence - internal' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
TIC tables for 2021 have been prepared in accordance with European bussines statistics compilers' manual for trade by invoicing curencies 2022 edition.
To prepare tables in the latest format, new SQL queries for Microsoft SQL Server have been created.
Everything was done on the Windows platform. New procedures for setting data confidentiality have also been implemented.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics by invoicing currency are only exceptionally revised.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Statistics by invoicing currency are only exceptionally revised.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not available.
18.1. Source data
TIC data are derived from the combination of two types of information:
Trade in goods transactions collected via customs declarations; and
Invoicing currencies collected via either customs declarations or a dedicated survey if the information is not covered by customs declarations (possible only for exports).
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Collection of trade in goods data: every month via customs declarations
Collection of the invoicing currency: every month via customs declarations or on an ad-hoc basis via a dedicated survey
18.3. Data collection
Collection of trade in goods data
The standard source of information on trade transactions is the customs declaration submitted by businesses and, in some cases, by private individuals involved in an international transaction of goods with a non-EU country. The customs declaration may be in paper form — the Single Administrative Document (SAD) — but is most commonly in electronic format.
Collection of the invoicing currency
The invoicing currency is the currency in which the commercial invoice is drawn up. It is mandatory information to be collected by the Customs National Authorities for imported goods. On exports, this data element is optional; therefore the Customs National Authority may decide not to collect the invoicing currency. In this case, the National Statistical Authority responsible for providing Eurostat with TIC data has to collect the information via a survey.
18.4. Data validation
TIC data disseminated by Eurostat have passed the following quality checks:
Intra-dataset checks: completeness of the dataset and uniqueness of the records, validity of the codes, validity of code combinations across the different dimensions, inter-record consistency checks;
Intra-domain check: check of the coherence between trade values published in the TIC dataset and trade values coming from aggregated and detailed trade in goods data.
18.5. Data compilation
At national level:
The share of each invoicing currency in the imports and exports of the reporting country is calculated on the basis of the transmitted trade values.
At European level:
The share of each invoicing currency in the imports and exports of the reporting country is calculated on the basis of the transmitted trade values. Additionally, Eurostat derives TIC data for the EU and the euro area as reporting entities by aggregating the trade values reported by the Member States.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
At national level:
No imputation is made by SORS.
At European level:
No imputation is made by Eurostat.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
No further comments.
International trade in goods statistics (ITGS) published by Eurostat measure the value and quantity of goods traded between the EU Member States (intra-EU trade) and goods traded by the EU Member States with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). ‘Goods’ means all movable property including electricity. ‘European’ means that the statistics are compiled on the basis of the concepts and definitions set out in EU legislation.
Trade by invoicing currency (TIC) data are part of the information available for extra-EU trade. The invoicing currency is the currency in which the commercial invoice is drawn up. Data by invoicing currency can be used for instance to explore the use of the euro in the EU’s international trade, to compare it with the role of the United States dollar (USD) or to analyse the role of the euro in the euro area and in the EU. These statistics are very useful to central banks, including the European Central Bank, for comparing the euro with other major international currencies. These data are also used by financial market segments or foreign investors.
Statistical dimensions available for TIC data:
reporting country;
partner country;
reference period;
trade flows;
product; and
currency.
7 May 2025
Reporting country – Except for some specific goods like vessels and aircraft, ITGS follow the physical movements of the goods. A country should record an import when goods enter its statistical territory and an export when goods leave that territory except if those goods are in simple transit.
Partner country – At detailed level, this is the last known country of destination for exports and the country of origin for imports. However individual partner countries are not kept in the dissemination of data by invoicing currency. They are replaced by the partner area ‘extra-EU’.
Product – Goods are primarily classified by commodity code as set out in the EU Combined Nomenclature. TIC data are compiled on the basis of a correspondence table enabling the transposition of detailed data collected according to the Combined Nomenclature into the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC).
From reference year 2016 to reference year 2020, TIC data is available for three product groups:
Raw materials without oil (SITC sections 0-4, excluding division 33),
Oil (SITC division 33)
Manufactured products (SITC sections 5-8)
From the reference year 2021, TIC data is available for the following product groups:
Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere (SITC section 9)
Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials (SITC division 33)
Currency – The invoicing currency is the currency in which the commercial invoice is drawn up. Its definition is provided by the customs legislation.
From reference year 2016 to reference year 2020, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
euro;
national currencies of EU Member States not belonging to the euro area;
US dollar; and
‘other’ (i.e. aggregated group of currencies of all non-EU countries except the United States).
Starting from the reference year 2021, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Croatian kuna
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Serbian Dinar
Starting from the reference year 2022, the following invoicing currencies or groups of invoicing currencies are considered for data transimission to Eurostat:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Croatian kuna
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Iceland krone
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
As of January 2023, the Republic of Croatia abandoned its currency Croatian кuna and switched to the euro, so the only change compared to 2022 on the list of currencies is the absence of the Croatian кuna:
All currencies
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Iceland krone
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
The changes in 2024 compared to 2023 are the addition of three new currencies: Georgian lari, Moldovan leu, and Ukraine hryvnia. So the list of currencies is as follows:
Not specified
Unknown currency
Euro
UK pound sterling
US dollar
National currencies of non-euro area MS
Bulgarian lev
Czech koruna
Danish krone
Hungarian forint
Polish zloty
Romanian leu
Swedish krona
Brazilian real
Canadian dollar
Swiss Franc
Chinese yuan renminbi
Indian rupee
Japanese yen
South Korean won
Mexican peso
Norwegian krone
Russian ruble
Singapore dollar
Turkish lira
Albanian lek
Bosnian-Herzegovinian convertible mark
Icelandic krona
Macedonian denar
Serbian Dinar
Georgian lari
Moldovan leu
Ukraine hryvnia
The statistical unit is any natural and legal person lodging a customs declaration in the reporting country on the condition that the customs procedure is of statistical relevance.
The statistical population comprise all the legal or natural persons who lodged a customs declaration with the National Customs Authority.
Serbia
Theoretically, the reference period for the information on international trade in goods transactions should be the calendar month of export or import of the goods. However, in practice the reference period is generally the calendar month during which the customs declaration is accepted by the National Customs Authority.
The reference years for which TIC data are disseminated result from the aggregation of monthly figures from January to December.
See item 13.1 ‘Accuracy - overall' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
For data transmission to Eurostat – Trade values (in national currency units) by invoicing currency. The value of traded goods is calculated at the national frontier, on a FOB (free on board) basis for exports and a CIF (cost, insurance, freight) basis for imports. Hence, only incidental expenses (freight, insurance) are included and they are incurred for:
exports in the part of the journey located on the territory of the country where the goods are exported from;
imports in the part of the journey located outside the territory of the country where the goods are imported to.
For data dissemination on Eurostat website – Share of each invoicing currency in extra-EU imports and exports for EU Member States, or in world imports and exports for EFTA and enlargement countries
At national level:
The share of each invoicing currency in the imports and exports of the reporting country is calculated on the basis of the transmitted trade values.
At European level:
The share of each invoicing currency in the imports and exports of the reporting country is calculated on the basis of the transmitted trade values. Additionally, Eurostat derives TIC data for the EU and the euro area as reporting entities by aggregating the trade values reported by the Member States.
TIC data are derived from the combination of two types of information:
Trade in goods transactions collected via customs declarations; and
Invoicing currencies collected via either customs declarations or a dedicated survey if the information is not covered by customs declarations (possible only for exports).
TIC data are only disseminated by Eurostat. See item 9 ‘Frequency of dissemination’ of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
See concepts 14.1.1 and 14.1.2.
See item 15.1 ‘Comparability - geographical' of the related metadata ‘ext_tic - International trade in goods – trade by invoicing currency’ for more details.
There were no changes, so the data are comparable in the entire series from 2017 to 2024.
