Cross-national trade by SMEs

17 November 2014
P-009365-14
Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

Subject: Cross-national trade by SMEs

Question(s)
1. Could the Commission provide the latest data regarding cross-national trade carried out within the EU by SMEs, if possible up to the year 2013?

2. On Union level, but also on a country-by-country basis: what percentage of SMEs do the majority, and a significant percentage, of their business with partners in other Member States?

3. What percentage of the total turnover (in euros) of EU SMEs comes from business conducted with EU partners outside their national borders?

Answer(s)
17 December 2014
P-009365/2014
Answer given by Ms Thyssen on behalf of the Commission
1. Eurostat publishes trade in goods statistics broken down by enterprise characteristics annually (first reference period 2010). These statistics show the cross-national trade carried out by SMEs in the internal market. Tables 1.a and 1.b contain data for 2011 and 2012 in terms of number of enterprises while data in Tables 2.a and 2.b are in terms of value of trade.2. The official statistics shown in Table 1 present the number of enterprises with employees up to 249 persons trading with partners in other Member States. The significance of this trade for the individual enterprise could not be estimated because the data transmitted by Member States to Eurostat are at aggregated level.3. Such information is not collected from Member States and is not available in the official statistics published by Eurostat.

Maltese Version

Tista’ l-Kummissjoni tipprovdi l-aktar data riċenti dwar il-kummerċ transnazzjonali mwettaq fl-UE mill-SMEs, jekk possibbli sas-sena 2013?
2. Fil-livell tal-Unjoni, iżda wkoll fuq bażi ta’ pajjiż b’pajjiż: x’persentaġġ tal-SMEs jagħmlu l-biċċa l-kbira, u persentaġġ sinifikanti, tan-negozju tagħhom ma’ sħab fi Stati Membri oħra?
3. X’persentaġġ tal-fatturat totali (f’euro) tal-SMEs fl-UE ġej minn negozju mwettaq ma’ sħab tal-UE barra mill-fruntieri nazzjonali tagħhom.

Tweġiba 17 ta’ Dicembru 2014

Kull sena l-Eurostat jippubblika l-istatistika tal-kummerċ tal-merkanzija maqsuma skont il-karatteristiċi tal-intrapriża (l-ewwel perjodu ta’ referenza 2010). Din l-istatistika turi l-kummerċ transnazzjonali mwettaq mill-SMEs fis-suq intern. It-Tabelli 1.a u 1.b fihom dejta għall-2011 u l-2012 f’termini ta’ numru ta’ intrapriżi filwaqt li d-dejta fit-Tabelli 2.a u 2.b huma f’termini tal-valur tal-kummerċ.2. L-istatistika uffiċjali li tidher fit-Tabella 1 tippreżenta n-numru ta’ intrapriżi b’249 impjegat jew inqas li jinnegozjaw ma’ sħab fi Stati Membri oħrajn. Is-sinifikat ta’ dan il-kummerċ għall-intrapriża individwali ma setax jiġi vvalutat minħabba li d-dejta trażmessa mill-Istati Membri lill-Eurostat hija fil-livell aggregat.3. Din l-informazzjoni ma nġabritx mingħand l-Istati Membri u mhix disponibbli fl-istatistika uffiċjali ppubblikata mill-Eurostat