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Archive:Enlargement countries - industry and service statistics

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Data extracted in September 2016. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: April 2018.

This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of business statistics for the enlargement countries, in other words the candidate countries and potential candidates. Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey currently have candidate status, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo [1] are potential candidates.

The article provides statistics for several business cycle indicators, including: the industrial production index, the industrial domestic output price index, construction production and costs indices, and the volume of sales index for retail trade. It also provides tourism data relating to the number of bed places in hotels and similar accommodation.

Table 1: Calendar adjusted indices of production, industry (NACE Rev. 2), 2005–2015
(2010 = 100)
Source: Eurostat (sts_inpr_a) and (cpc_insts)
Table 2: Gross domestic output price indices, industry (NACE Rev. 2), 2005–2015
(2010 = 100)
Source: Eurostat (sts_inppd_a) and (cpc_insts)
Table 3: Production and cost indices, construction (NACE Rev. 2), 2005–2015
(2010 = 100)
Source: Eurostat (sts_copr_a), (sts_copi_a) and (cpc_insts)
Table 4: Calendar adjusted volume of sales, retail trade (NACE Rev. 2), 2005–2015
(2010 = 100)
Source: Eurostat (sts_trtu_a) and (cpc_insts)
Table 5: Number of bed-places, hotels and similar accommodation, 2005–2015
(thousands)
Source: Eurostat (tour_cap_nat) and (cpc_intour)

Main statistical findings

Industrial production index

At the onset of the global financial and economic crisis, there was a sharp contraction in industrial activity in the EU-28. In 2009, the EU-28’s industrial production index fell by 13.8 %, while a partial rebound in 2010 (+6.7 %) and 2011 (+3.2 %) was followed by a reduction in output of 2.1 % in 2012 and of 0.5 % in 2013, before growth returned in 2014 (1.2 %) and accelerated in 2015 (2.2 %) — see Table 1.

By far the largest contraction in industrial activity in 2009 among the enlargement countries was recorded in Montenegro, where the production index fell by almost one third; this was the only enlargement country to record a downturn in activity that was of greater magnitude than that experienced in the EU-28. There were, however, considerable reductions in industrial activity in 2009 in all but one of the remaining enlargement countries, ranging from -12.6 % in Serbia to -6.5 % in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By contrast, Albania recorded a considerable expansion in its industrial output in 2009, as the production index rose by 17.5 %.

It is possible to evaluate the effects of the crisis by comparing pre-crisis levels of output in 2008 with the most recent data available for industrial production indices in 2015. Montenegro was the enlargement country most affected by the crisis over this period, as its industrial production index remained 29.7 % lower in 2015 than it had been in 2008. Serbia also reported that its level of industrial output had failed to recover to its pre-crisis level, with industrial production remaining  5.3 % lower in 2015 than it had been in 2008. For comparison, industrial production in the EU-28 remained 4.4 % lower in 2015 than it had been in 2008.

In 2015, industrial output was higher than its pre-crisis levels in Albania, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Industrial output in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was 2.5 % higher in 2015 than in 2008, as output increased between 2012 and 2015, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina it was 4.2 % higher, with growth every year except one between 2010 and 2015. The initial impact of the crisis was quite pronounced in Turkey, as industrial output fell by just over 10 % in 2009. However, there was an immediate rebound in 2010 when growth of 12.4 % was recorded. Thereafter, single-digit growth rates were recorded such that by 2015 the industrial production index in Turkey was 24.8 % higher than it had been in 2008. As noted above, Albania was the exception to this general pattern of declining output in 2009, as its industrial production index appeared to be relatively immune to the crisis, with output rising in each and every year over the whole period shown in Table 1, albeit with more modest growth in the most recent years. Indeed, industrial output in Albania was approximately three times as high in 2015 as it had been in 2005 and was almost twice as high in 2015 as it had been at the onset of the crisis.

Domestic output price indices

The development of domestic output price indices — also known as domestic producer price indices (PPIs) — for industry reflects price changes in goods that are sold by manufacturers; they provide an early indicator of inflation. One of the key drivers in the development of output price indices is global demand for energy resources, in particular, crude oil. Indeed, in recent years the price of oil has fluctuated far more than the price of many other goods and this has had a direct impact on costs faced by manufacturers in a range of industrial activities, with oil price fluctuations often being passed down the production line between interlinked activities.

There was a peak in the price of crude oil in 2008, which coincided with the highest year-on-year increase in EU-28 output prices over the period 2005–2015. In a similar vein, a fall in global demand following the onset of the financial and economic crisis, coupled with falling oil prices, led to EU-28 output prices falling by 4.2 % in 2009. In 2010, EU-28 industrial output price levels returned to growth (3.1 %) and accelerated in 2011 (6.1 %). Thereafter, price increases slowed, and in 2013 there was no change in prices, followed by price falls in 2014 and 2015 (see Table 2).

Domestic output prices rose rapidly in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey

Among the enlargement countries (no data available for Bosnia and Herzegovina or Kosovo), the overall increase of domestic industrial output prices between 2009 and 2015 in Albania was lower than that in the EU-28; in fact, the output price index in Albania was lower in 2015 than it has been in 2009. The development of industrial output prices in Montenegro during the period 2009–2015 was identical to that in the EU-28, with prices rising overall by 7.2 %. By contrast, prices rose at a faster pace (than in the EU) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and at a much faster pace in Serbia and Turkey. In the latter two, overall price increases of 42.3 % and 55.0 % were observed between 2009 and 2015.

Construction production and cost indices

The effects of the financial and economic crisis on construction were, if anything, even greater than on the industrial economy. Indeed, the production index for construction in the EU-28 fell each and every year during the period 2008–2013, returning to annual growth only in 2014. From its pre-crisis high in 2007 through to 2013, the EU-28 index of production for construction fell overall by more than one fifth (21.9 %).

Some of the enlargement countries had a similar development, with considerably lower levels of construction output in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Serbia when comparing the most recent data available with that recorded prior to the crisis. The situation in Serbia was particular as construction output appeared to be recovering between 2010 and 2012 before a second large fall in 2013.

The index of production for construction in Turkey grew in successive years during the period 2010–2015 and more than recovered its losses experienced at the height of the crisis (see Table 3). However, the most rapid expansions in construction output in recent years were registered in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: year-on-year increases in output were recorded throughout the period 2011–2015 in Montenegro and all years from 2010 to 2015 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, except for a contraction in output in 2014.

Over the period 2010–2015, there were generally modest increases in the construction cost index for residential buildings in the EU-28 and Albania and stronger increases in Turkey . By contrast the gross index of costs for residential buildings fell several years in Montenegro, most notably in 2012, while costs also fell in 2014 and 2015 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Volume of sales index for retail trade

The volume of sales index is a measure of turnover in the retail trade sector, adjusted to remove price changes (inflation). Table 4 provides data for this indicator over the period 2005–15 and shows that after modest growth up to 2007, the volume of sales index in the EU-28 fell by a relatively small margin during most of the years through to 2013, falling overall by 3.2 % during the period 2007–2013. In 2014, growth of 2.1 % was recorded, with this strengthening in 2015 to 3.3 %.

Volume of sales index grew rapidly in Montenegro

Among the enlargement countries, data for the volume of sales index are generally available for the period 2005–15 or 2006–15, during which time there were generally much greater fluctuations than the developments seen in the EU-28. At the end of this period, in 2015, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia were characterised by their relatively low volume of sales index compared with their levels in 2010 (7.9 % and 22.6 % lower respectively). By contrast, the volume of sales indices in the remaining enlargement countries for which data are available showed uninterrupted growth between 2010 and 2015. This recent growth was particularly strong in Montenegro, where the volume of sales index for retail trade grew by an annual average of 7.8 % between 2010 and 2015, while corresponding rates for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey and Albania were each within the range of 4.7–5.6 % per year.

In 2015, there was an expansion in the volume of sales index for each of the six enlargement countries for which data are available (no data for Kosovo). These latest annual growth rates (2015 compared with 2014) ranged from 1.6 % in Serbia to 5.5 % in Albania with growth of 7.8 % in Bosnia and Herzegovina above this range.

Number of bed places in hotels and similar accommodation

In 2014, there were 13.7 million bed places available in EU-28 hotels and similar establishments. The number of bed places grew in the EU-28 in each and every year over the period 2005–2014. Note that the figures shown do not reflect occupancy rates and instead refer to the supply of available bed places.

Around 85 % of the bed places available in enlargement countries were located in Turkey

A complete time series for 2005–2015 is available for six of the seven enlargement countries (no data for Kosovo), as shown in Table 5. In 2015, the combined number of bed places available in hotels and similar establishments in these six countries was around 995 000; this was equivalent to 7.3 % of the number of bed places in the EU-28 in 2014.

Turkey reported by far the highest number of bed places among the enlargement countries, some 850 thousand in 2015, or more than four fifths (85 %) of the total across the enlargement countries. Turkey also recorded a large increase in its bed capacity: during the period 2005–2015 the number of bed places in Turkish hotels and similar establishments rose by 367 thousand, an overall increase of 76 %; for comparison, the number of bed places in the EU-28 increased by almost 20 % over the period 2005–2014. The number of bed places rose at an even more rapid pace in Albania (114 %) and only fell during this period in Montenegro (-19 %).

Data sources and availability

Data for the enlargement countries are collected for a wide range of indicators each year through a questionnaire that is sent by Eurostat to partner countries which have either the status of being candidate countries or potential candidates. A network of contacts in each country has been established for updating these questionnaires, generally within the national statistical offices, but potentially including representatives of other data-producing organisations (for example, central banks or government ministries). The statistics shown in this article are made available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a wide range of other socio-economic indicators collected as part of this initiative.

Traditionally, short-term business statistics (STS) were concentrated on industrial and construction activities, and to a lesser extent retail trade. Since the middle of the 1990s, major developments in official statistics within the EU have seen short-term data collection efforts focus increasingly on services. These data are provided in the form of indices that allow the most rapid assessment of the economic climate within industry, construction and services, providing a first evaluation of recent developments for a range of activities. STS show developments over time, and so may be used to calculate rates of change, typically showing comparisons with the month or quarter before, or the same period of the previous year: the data presented here are annual series derived from monthly or quarterly series.

Within the EU, STS are compiled within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 of 19 May 1998 concerning short-term statistics. The STS Regulation has been amended and adjusted to meet emerging users’ needs — generally in relation to monetary union and more specifically to the requirements of the European Central Bank (ECB). Retail trade indices have particular importance because of the role of retail trade as an interface between producers and final customers, allowing retail sales turnover and volume of sales indices to be used as short-term indicators for final domestic demand by households.

Tourism, in a statistical context, refers to the activity of visitors taking a trip to a destination outside their usual environment, for less than a year. It can be for any main purpose, including business, leisure or other personal reasons. In July 2011, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 concerning European statistics on tourism. Tourism statistics in the EU consist of two main components: on the one hand, statistics relating to capacity and occupancy in collective tourist accommodation; on the other, statistics relating to tourism demand. Statistics on the capacity of collective tourist accommodation include the number of establishments, the number of bedrooms and the number of bed places.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

Value in italics     data value is forecasted, provisional or estimated and is therefore likely to change;
: not available.

Context

The profile and use of STS has expanded, as information flows have become global and the latest news release for an indicator may have significant effects on financial markets, or decisions that are taken by central banks and business leaders. STS are a key resource for those who follow developments in the business cycle, or for those who wish to trace recent developments within a particular industrial, construction or service activity. Some of the most important STS indicators are included within the principal European economic indicators (PEEIs) that are essential to the ECB for conducting monetary policy within the euro area. Three PEEIs concern industrial short-term business statistics (the production index, output prices of the domestic market and import prices), a further two PEEIs concern construction short-term business statistics (the production index and building permits), while three more concern services short-term business statistics (the volume of sales in retail trade, turnover in other services and services producer prices).

The EU is a major tourist destination, with five of its Member States among the world’s top 10 destinations for holidaymakers in 2015, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Tourism has the potential to contribute towards employment and economic growth, as well as to development in rural, peripheral or less-developed areas. These characteristics drive the demand for reliable and harmonised statistics within this field, as well as within the wider context of regional policy and sustainable development policy areas.

While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the quantity and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU enlargement process. EU standards in the field of statistics require the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as professional independence, impartiality, relevance, confidentiality of individual data and easy access to official statistics; they cover methodology, classifications and standards for production.

Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that statistical production of the enlargement countries complies with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as pilot surveys, training courses, traineeships, study visits, workshops and seminars, and participation in meetings within the European statistical system (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.

Additional information on statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided here.

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

  • Statistical books/pocketbooks
Key figures on enlargement countries — 2017 edition
Key figures on the enlargement countries — 2014 edition
Key figures on the enlargement countries — 2013 edition
  • Leaflets
Basic figures on enlargement countries — 2016 edition
Basic figures on enlargement countries — 2015 edition
Enlargement countries — Industry and services — 2014 edition

Database

Industry, trade and services (cpc_in)
Candidate countries and potential candidates: short-term business statistics (cpc_insts)
Candidate countries and potential candidates: tourism (cpc_intour)
Industry (sts_ind)
Production in industry (sts_ind_prod)
Producer prices in industry (sts_ind_pric)
Construction, building and civil engineering (sts_cons)
Production in construction (sts_cons_pro)
Construction cost (or producer prices), new residential buildings (sts_cons_pri)
Trade and services (sts_ts)
Wholesale and retail trade (NACE G) (sts_wrt)
Annual data on tourism industries (tour_inda)
Capacity of tourist accommodation establishments (tour_cap)

Dedicated section

Methodology / Metadata

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.


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