Multinational enterprise groups and their structure

Why are these statistics needed?

Multinational enterprise (MNE) groups contribute substantially to the production of goods and services, employment, and investment in the EU as well as the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

Despite growing public interest in the structure of MNE groups, Eurostat does not yet have a consolidated set of statistics on the subject. However, Eurostat is making an effort to compute these statistics in the EU and EFTA countries utilising the strengths of the EuroGroups register (EGR) data.

Why are they considered statistics under development?

These statistics are under development because the figures are produced by combining the information from several data sources to build a consistent picture of how MNE groups are structured across countries.

The EGR, as the statistical business register for MNE groups, brings together data reported by EU and EFTA countries, complemented by other available data sources. To produce one final statistical view of MNE groups, the EGR applies methodological and validation rules to reconcile differences between sources and determine the most coherent group structure.

Because MNE groups are complex and operate across several countries, the statistical output might differ from how the same group is depicted at national level. For that reason, the resulting figures are being further improved in terms of methodology, consistency, and quality.

How are they produced?

These statistics result from aggregating the EGR microdata. All the national statistical authorities of the EU and EFTA countries produce statistics on MNE groups, such as on foreign affiliates or foreign direct investment. These are drawn from national sources and from the EGR.

The EGR covers MNE groups operating in the EU and EFTA territory. The EGR's main function is to provide the statistical authorities a database containing harmonised information on MNE groups. This is used for the production of cross-border and globalisation statistics, either at country or EU aggregated level.

For further details, please consult our  methodological note.

Access to the statistics

Database