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.
Regional accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts - ESA 2010 (as defined in Annex B of the Council Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023).
Gross value added (GVA) is a measure of the value of goods and services produced within a single year by resident producer units. In regional accounts it can be defined from two perspectives: the production approach and the income approach.
Using the production approach, regional GVA at basic prices by industry is equal to the difference between output (at basic prices) and intermediate consumption (at purchasers’ prices).
Using the income approach, regional GVA at basic prices by industry is equal to the sum of other taxes less subsidies on production, wages and salaries, employers’ social contributions, consumption of fixed capital and net operating surplus.
In the regional accounts, however, the emphasis is on methods aligned with the production approach.
Regional accounts provide information on basic economic variables at regional level (region and prefecture levels of Greece). The main economic variables are gross value added, compensation of employees, employment (total employment, employees, self-employed) in persons and hours worked and gross fixed capital formation (investments) for which the available regional data are broken down per sector of economic activity. Data are also provided at regional level for Households Accounts.
In line with the Eurostat data transmission programme (ESA 2010 TP), data transmitted to Eurostat are compiled annually in three tables:
T1001 (NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 by NACE Rev. 2-A*10): gross value added at current and previous year prices, total employment, employees and self-employed (persons) and population.
T1002 (NUTS 2 by NACE Rev. 2-A*10): compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation, total employment, employees and self-employed (hours worked).
T1300 (NUTS 2, household account): operating surplus and mixed income net, compensation of employees, property income (credit and debit), balance of primary incomes net/national income net, social benefits, other current transfers, current taxes on income and wealth, net social contributions, other current transfers (debit), disposable income net.
3.2. Classification system
Regional data, as required by ESA 2010, are classified according to:
Regional accounts describe the total economy of a country.
Regional accounts are not available separately for all institutional sectors. Regional Accounts are available for the household sector, and transactions are limited to income distribution and redistribution.
Gross Value Added (GVA) (B.1g) at basic prices is measured as the difference between Output valued at basic prices and Intermediate Consumption at purchasers' prices (ESA 2010, §13.35).
Compensation of employees (D.1) is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an employer to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. Compensation of employees is made up of the following components: wages and salaries (D.11) and employers' social contributions (D.12) (ESA 2010, §4.02).
Employment covers all persons engaged in productive activity (falls within the production boundary of the national accounts). Employed persons are either employees (persons by agreement for another resident unit and receiving remuneration) or self-employed (owners of unincorporated enterprises).
Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) (P.51) consists of resident producers' acquisitions, less disposals, of fixed assets during a given period plus certain additions to the value of non-produced assets realised by the productive activity of producer or institutional units. Fixed assets are produced assets used in production for more than one year. Gross fixed means that consumption of fixed capital is included. Disposals of fixed assets are treated as negative acquisitions (ESA 2010, §3.124-§3.125).
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at market prices is the final result of the production activity of resident producer units (ESA 2010, §8.89). The regional allocation of GDP follows the regional allocation of total GVA.
3.5. Statistical unit
National accounts aim to capture economic activity within the domestic territory. The elementary building blocks of ESA 2010 statistics are statistical units and their groupings. ESA 2010 defines two types of units, institutional units and local kind-of-activity (KAU) units (ESA 2010, 1.54).
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterized by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its center of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy and either keeps a complete set of accounts, or it is able to compile a complete set of accounts.
A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level (four digits) of the NACE Rev. 2.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
In general, KAUs are identified in ELSTAT Statistical Business Register. In Regional accounts, we aim at identifying data on LKAUs level to the extent possible, depending on the availability of the underlying data sources.
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population of regional accounts refers to all resident institutional units within a region, i.e., those whose predominant centre of economic interest is located in that territory. A predominant centre of economic interest means that the unit carries out economic activities and transactions of a significant scale over a sufficiently long period (generally, one year or more).
The mid-year estimate of population is used for per capita calculations.
3.7. Reference area
The whole greek territory with breakdown into region and perfecture level.
Specifically, 13 regions at NUTS 2 level and 52 regions at NUTS 3 level. There are no extra regions.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Regional accounts according to ESA 2010 is available as from the reference year 2000.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Data are expressed in million euro for both current and previous year’s prices. Total employment, employees and self-employed are measured in thousands of persons and hours worked.
The periods referred to are calendar years.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National and regional accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) which was published in the Official Journal as Annex A of Regulation (EU) No 549/2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023.
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164) stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics, as well as access to those confidential data taking into account technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society. The European Statistics Code of Practice provides further conditions that have to be respected by statistical offices in regard to statistical confidentiality (Principle 5).
In addition, the issues concerning the observance of statistical confidentiality by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) are arranged by articles 7, 8 and 9 of the Law 3832/2010 as in force, by Articles 8, 10 and 11(2) of the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System and by Articles 10 and 15 of the Regulation on the Operation and Administration of ELSTAT.
More precisely: ELSTAT disseminates the statistics in compliance with the statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice and in particular with the principle of statistical confidentiality. ELSTAT’s statistics are also in compliance with the national Statistical Confidentiality Policy.
Protection of personal data
ELSTAT abides by the commitments and obligations arising from the applicable EU and national legislation on the protection of the individual from the processing of personal data and the relevant decisions, guidelines and regulatory acts of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority.
Pursuant to the Regulation on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data [Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR)], ELSTAT implements the appropriate technical and organisational measures for ensuring adequate level of security against risks for the personal data it collects and has access to, in the context of carrying out its tasks, in order to meet the requirements of this Regulation and to protect these personal data from any unauthorised access or illegal processing.
The personal data collected by ELSTAT are used exclusively for purposes related to the conduct of surveys and the production of relevant statistics. Only ELSTAT has access to the data. The controller is the person appointed by law pursuant to the relevant provisions concerning the Legal Entities of Public Law and the Independent Authorities. The data are stored in the databases of ELSTAT for as long as required by the relevant legislation.
Information on privacy of the processing is based on: Article 6, para 1(c) and 1(d) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
ELSTAT protects and does not disseminate data it has obtained or it has access to, which enable the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units that have provided them by the disclosure of individual information directly received for statistical purposes or indirectly supplied from administrative or other sources. ELSTAT takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means that might reasonably be used by a third party. Statistical data that could potentially enable the identification of the statistical unit are disseminated by ELSTAT if and only if:
a) these data have been treated, as it is specifically set out in the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System (ELSS), in such a way that their dissemination does not prejudice statistical confidentiality or
b) the statistical unit has given its consent, without any reservations, for the disclosure of data.
The confidential data that are transmitted by ELSS agencies to ELSTAT are used exclusively for statistical purposes and the only persons who have the right to have access to these data are the personnel engaged in this task and appointed by an act of the President of ELSTAT.
Issues referring to the observance of statistical confidentiality are examined by the Statistical Confidentiality Committee (SCC) operating in ELSTAT. The responsibilities of this Committee are to make recommendations to the President of ELSTAT on:
- the level of detail at which statistical data can be disseminated, so as the identification, either directly or indirectly, of the surveyed statistical unit is not possible;
- the anonymization criteria for the microdata provided to users;
- the granting to researchers access to confidential data for scientific purposes.
The staff of ELSTAT, under any employment status, as well as the temporary survey workers who are employed for the collection of statistical data in statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT, who acquire access by any means to confidential data, are bound by the principle of confidentiality and must use these data exclusively for the statistical purposes of ELSTAT. After the termination of their term of office, they are not allowed to use these data for any purpose.
Violation of data confidentiality and/or statistical confidentiality by any civil servant or employee of ELSTAT constitutes the disciplinary offence of violation of duty and may be punished with the penalty of final dismissal.
ELSTAT, by its decision, may impose a penalty amounting from ten thousand (10,000) up to two hundred thousand (200,000) euros to anyone who violates the confidentiality of data and/or statistical confidentiality. The penalty is always imposed after the hearing of the defense of the person liable for the breach, depending on the gravity and the repercussions of the violation. Any relapse constitutes an aggravating factor for the assessment of the administrative sanction.
Pursuant to the Regulation on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data [Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR)], ELSTAT implements the appropriate technical and organisational measures for ensuring adequate level of security against risks for the personal data it collects and has access to, in the context of carrying out its tasks, in order to meet the requirements of this Regulation and to protect these personal data from any unauthorised access or illegal processing.
8.1. Release calendar
Each year ELSTAT publishes a release calendar with the precise release dates of statistics for the following year.
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice ELSTAT disseminates national statistics on its website respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably.
ELSTAT may grant researchers conducting statistical analyses for scientific purposes access to data that enable the indirect identification of the statistical units concerned. The access is granted provided the following conditions are satisfied:
a) an appropriate request together with a detailed research proposal in conformity with current scientific standards have been submitted;
b) the research proposal indicates in sufficient detail the set of data to be accessed, the methods of analyzing them, and the time needed for the research;
c) a contract specifying the conditions for access, the obligations of the researchers, the measures for respecting the confidentiality of statistical data and the sanctions in case of breach of these obligations has been signed by the individual researcher, by his/her institution, or by the organization commissioning the research, as the case may be, and by ELSTAT.
For regional accounts data, the national release takes place in January of year (t) and refers to data for the reference year (t–2) and (t-3) and are available on ELSTAT's website.
Users have equal access to the data and are treated equitably.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The announcements for Annual National Accounts are available on ELSTAT’s website:
Quality is assured by strict application of ESA 2010 concepts and by thorough validation of the data used and the final results.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
ESA 2010 data transmissions are subject to regular quality assessment reviews. Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 (ESA 2010 Regulation) specifies that the data covered by that Regulation is subject to the quality criteria, namely, relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability and coherence, as set out in Article 12(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Member States are to provide the Commission with a report on the quality of the transmitted data on national and regional accounts. The modalities, structure, periodicity and assessment indicators of the quality reports on data transmitted have been specified in a Commission Implementing Regulation 2016/2304 of 19 December 2016. The implementation of the quality reporting and assessment exercise started in 2017 and is carried out annually. As part of the annual exercise, Eurostat assesses the results, prepares and publishes an overall assessment based on the national quality reports and other available information. The Commission also, on a 5 year basis, reports to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of the ESA 2010 Regulation, including the quality of data on national and regional accounts. The first of such reports was published in 2018: REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the application of Regulation (EU) No 549/2013.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Users of regional accounts data are typically interested in cross-region and cross-country comparisons and in analysing structural changes in the economy from a medium-term perspective.
These include mainly Ministry of Rural Development and Food, OECD, Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), students, researchers, journalists, etc.
ELSTAT transmits to Eurostat a complete set of regional accounts according to the ESA 2010 transmission programme, from 2000 onwards.
Information on completeness can be found in 3.1.1 of National Quality Report (NQR).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The data sources used for the compilation of regional accounts are the exhaustive data from administrative sources and the microdata or results from statistical surveys. The accuracy and reliability of the produced results depends on the accuracy and the completeness of the data coming from the primary sources. These data from the primary sources are checked as for their accuracy and completeness and they are continuously revised until they are confirmed, in order to achieve the higher possible level of accuracy and reliability.
Overall accuracy increases with the size of the region concerned, e.g. NUTS 2 data is more accurate than NUTS 3 data.
In addition, Eurostat is performing an annual assessment of the accuracy regarding country data reported to Eurostat under ESA 2010 transmission programme (Quality report).
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
The deadline for the transmission of basic data to Eurostat is at t + 12 months, for NUTS 2 data for total Gross Value Added, total employment and population, and t + 24 months, for all the other data.
14.2. Punctuality
The data are transmitted to Eurostat within the legal deadlines.
Information on punctuality is in section 5.1.1 of National Quality Report (NQR).
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The comparability is ensured by the application of common concepts and definitions (European System of Accounts ESA 2010). Between regions comparability is ensured by the NUTS classification.
15.2. Comparability - over time
By using a common framework, the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010), data can be comparable over time.
Greek regional accounts data are fully comparable over the period from 2000 to the last reference year.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Regional accounts are consistent with annual national accounts and annual sector accounts.
Temporary discrepancies with quarterly national accounts or government accounts may occur due to vintage effects. Greece has been granted by Eurostat a three year derogation for cross domain consistency (until September 2027).
Information on cross domain coherence is in National Quality Report (NQR).
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence specific to regional accounts — including consistency between NUTS levels and benchmarking to national totals — is ensured within the regional accounts compilation process.
Information on internal coherence is in National Quality Report (NQR).
Data of regional accounts are revised on regular time intervals, following the revisions of annual national accounts.
Routine revisions
Regional Accounts data are revised on regular intervals, when provisional data become final or when new data become available, following National Accounts regular revisions.
Major or Benchmark revisions
Major revisions usually occur approximately every five years with the introduction of methodological improvements and the utilization of new and updated data from various sources, following National Accounts benchmark revisions.
ELSTAT implemented the latest Benchmark Revision in annual national accounts in September 2024 (reference year: 2021, base year 2020=100) . The regional accounts revision have subsequently followed in December 2024.
18.1. Source data
Results from statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT (Structural Business Statistics surveys, Labour Force survey etc.), data from administrative sources and the results of annual national accounts.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data are collected on annual basis.
18.3. Data collection
The data used for the compilation of regional accounts come from other Sections within ELSTAT (such as SBS and Statistical Business Register from Business Statistics Division, population data from Population, Employment & Cost of Living Statistics Division, data from Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Environment Statistics Division, national accounts data, etc.) or from other external units (such as Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, Renewable Energy Sources & Guarantees of Origin Operator. etc.).
In addition data derive from administrative sources (such as Information System for Labour Market Monitoring, Single Payment Authority, etc.).
The primary data are collected in electronic format.
18.4. Data validation
Logical tests are applied in order to check that the data used for the production of regional results are characterized by accuracy and consistency at regional level, through comparison with other sources and through the comparison of consequent reference years.
More analytically, source data undergo a sequence of checks within National Accounts. ELSTAT ensures the quality of national accounts through a standardised two-step validation process.
Internal consistency checks: The first step involves checks to verify that tables are internally consistent.
Plausibility checks: Once the data pass these checks, some additional checks are applied to assess the plausibility of the data.
In addition, Eurostat checks national data for completeness (coverage of reference periods and variables), consistency (accounting consistency, frequency consistency between quarterly and annual accounts, consistency over time and consistency of prices), revisions, outliers and flagging practices and follows up with NSIs on any lack of quality in this respect. The data validation is complemented by an annual quality reporting. According to Regulation (EU) No 2016/2304, Eurostat verifies punctuality, completeness and cross-domain consistency of tables. The countries receive a pre-filled quality report by 15 February of each year.
18.5. Data compilation
The compilation of regional Gross Value Added (GVA) and other variables is carried out within the framework of the national accounts system, ensuring full consistency with the national aggregates.
Due to the limited availability of regional data sources, particularly concerning the detailed regional allocation of GVA, bottom-up estimation methods are generally not applied. Instead, top-down approaches are predominantly applied, using suitable allocation keys derived from employment or related indicators.
In most cases, employment-related data — such as the number of employees and self-employed persons, or wages and salaries — are used as the main key variables for the regional distribution of national totals. However, when the quality or reliability of available data differs across levels of the NUTS classification, a two-step allocation procedure may be implemented. For example, in the case of private health activities, GVA is first allocated at the NUTS 2 level based on the regional distribution of hours worked derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In the second step, the GVA is further distributed at the NUTS 3 level according to the regional distribution of administrative staff and nurses, as reported in the annual census of clinics and health centres.
For specific sections, the income approach is also used. Under this method, GVA is decomposed into the main components: gross operating surplus and compensation of employees. The gross operating surplus is allocated to regions using appropriate physical indicators. For example, electricity production is used for the electricity supply sector, while the number of passengers serves as the indicator for water and air transport at the NUTS 3 level. The compensation of employees is distributed regionally according to the structure of employment data, based on wages and salaries, or the number of employees and/or self-employed persons, depending on the specific industry.
The underlying employment and auxiliary data primarily originate from administrative sources and annual statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT, including the Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Where necessary, additional information is also sought to improve the robustness and coherence of the regional estimates.
18.6. Adjustment
In cases of time series showing high variability, adjustments are made using moving averages.
No additional comments.
Regional accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts - ESA 2010 (as defined in Annex B of the Council Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023).
Gross value added (GVA) is a measure of the value of goods and services produced within a single year by resident producer units. In regional accounts it can be defined from two perspectives: the production approach and the income approach.
Using the production approach, regional GVA at basic prices by industry is equal to the difference between output (at basic prices) and intermediate consumption (at purchasers’ prices).
Using the income approach, regional GVA at basic prices by industry is equal to the sum of other taxes less subsidies on production, wages and salaries, employers’ social contributions, consumption of fixed capital and net operating surplus.
In the regional accounts, however, the emphasis is on methods aligned with the production approach.
Regional accounts provide information on basic economic variables at regional level (region and prefecture levels of Greece). The main economic variables are gross value added, compensation of employees, employment (total employment, employees, self-employed) in persons and hours worked and gross fixed capital formation (investments) for which the available regional data are broken down per sector of economic activity. Data are also provided at regional level for Households Accounts.
In line with the Eurostat data transmission programme (ESA 2010 TP), data transmitted to Eurostat are compiled annually in three tables:
T1001 (NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 by NACE Rev. 2-A*10): gross value added at current and previous year prices, total employment, employees and self-employed (persons) and population.
T1002 (NUTS 2 by NACE Rev. 2-A*10): compensation of employees, gross fixed capital formation, total employment, employees and self-employed (hours worked).
T1300 (NUTS 2, household account): operating surplus and mixed income net, compensation of employees, property income (credit and debit), balance of primary incomes net/national income net, social benefits, other current transfers, current taxes on income and wealth, net social contributions, other current transfers (debit), disposable income net.
Gross Value Added (GVA) (B.1g) at basic prices is measured as the difference between Output valued at basic prices and Intermediate Consumption at purchasers' prices (ESA 2010, §13.35).
Compensation of employees (D.1) is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an employer to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. Compensation of employees is made up of the following components: wages and salaries (D.11) and employers' social contributions (D.12) (ESA 2010, §4.02).
Employment covers all persons engaged in productive activity (falls within the production boundary of the national accounts). Employed persons are either employees (persons by agreement for another resident unit and receiving remuneration) or self-employed (owners of unincorporated enterprises).
Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) (P.51) consists of resident producers' acquisitions, less disposals, of fixed assets during a given period plus certain additions to the value of non-produced assets realised by the productive activity of producer or institutional units. Fixed assets are produced assets used in production for more than one year. Gross fixed means that consumption of fixed capital is included. Disposals of fixed assets are treated as negative acquisitions (ESA 2010, §3.124-§3.125).
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at market prices is the final result of the production activity of resident producer units (ESA 2010, §8.89). The regional allocation of GDP follows the regional allocation of total GVA.
National accounts aim to capture economic activity within the domestic territory. The elementary building blocks of ESA 2010 statistics are statistical units and their groupings. ESA 2010 defines two types of units, institutional units and local kind-of-activity (KAU) units (ESA 2010, 1.54).
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterized by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its center of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy and either keeps a complete set of accounts, or it is able to compile a complete set of accounts.
A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level (four digits) of the NACE Rev. 2.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
In general, KAUs are identified in ELSTAT Statistical Business Register. In Regional accounts, we aim at identifying data on LKAUs level to the extent possible, depending on the availability of the underlying data sources.
The statistical population of regional accounts refers to all resident institutional units within a region, i.e., those whose predominant centre of economic interest is located in that territory. A predominant centre of economic interest means that the unit carries out economic activities and transactions of a significant scale over a sufficiently long period (generally, one year or more).
The mid-year estimate of population is used for per capita calculations.
The whole greek territory with breakdown into region and perfecture level.
Specifically, 13 regions at NUTS 2 level and 52 regions at NUTS 3 level. There are no extra regions.
The periods referred to are calendar years.
The data sources used for the compilation of regional accounts are the exhaustive data from administrative sources and the microdata or results from statistical surveys. The accuracy and reliability of the produced results depends on the accuracy and the completeness of the data coming from the primary sources. These data from the primary sources are checked as for their accuracy and completeness and they are continuously revised until they are confirmed, in order to achieve the higher possible level of accuracy and reliability.
Overall accuracy increases with the size of the region concerned, e.g. NUTS 2 data is more accurate than NUTS 3 data.
In addition, Eurostat is performing an annual assessment of the accuracy regarding country data reported to Eurostat under ESA 2010 transmission programme (Quality report).
Data are expressed in million euro for both current and previous year’s prices. Total employment, employees and self-employed are measured in thousands of persons and hours worked.
The compilation of regional Gross Value Added (GVA) and other variables is carried out within the framework of the national accounts system, ensuring full consistency with the national aggregates.
Due to the limited availability of regional data sources, particularly concerning the detailed regional allocation of GVA, bottom-up estimation methods are generally not applied. Instead, top-down approaches are predominantly applied, using suitable allocation keys derived from employment or related indicators.
In most cases, employment-related data — such as the number of employees and self-employed persons, or wages and salaries — are used as the main key variables for the regional distribution of national totals. However, when the quality or reliability of available data differs across levels of the NUTS classification, a two-step allocation procedure may be implemented. For example, in the case of private health activities, GVA is first allocated at the NUTS 2 level based on the regional distribution of hours worked derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In the second step, the GVA is further distributed at the NUTS 3 level according to the regional distribution of administrative staff and nurses, as reported in the annual census of clinics and health centres.
For specific sections, the income approach is also used. Under this method, GVA is decomposed into the main components: gross operating surplus and compensation of employees. The gross operating surplus is allocated to regions using appropriate physical indicators. For example, electricity production is used for the electricity supply sector, while the number of passengers serves as the indicator for water and air transport at the NUTS 3 level. The compensation of employees is distributed regionally according to the structure of employment data, based on wages and salaries, or the number of employees and/or self-employed persons, depending on the specific industry.
The underlying employment and auxiliary data primarily originate from administrative sources and annual statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT, including the Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Where necessary, additional information is also sought to improve the robustness and coherence of the regional estimates.
Results from statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT (Structural Business Statistics surveys, Labour Force survey etc.), data from administrative sources and the results of annual national accounts.
Annual.
The deadline for the transmission of basic data to Eurostat is at t + 12 months, for NUTS 2 data for total Gross Value Added, total employment and population, and t + 24 months, for all the other data.
The comparability is ensured by the application of common concepts and definitions (European System of Accounts ESA 2010). Between regions comparability is ensured by the NUTS classification.
By using a common framework, the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010), data can be comparable over time.
Greek regional accounts data are fully comparable over the period from 2000 to the last reference year.
