Free access to all Eurostat data and publications

Since 1 October 2004, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, has made all its data and publications available free of charge on the Internet. This important change enables Eurostat to fully play its role as a public service institution, by giving free access to economic and social information on the euro-zone, the EU and the 25 Member States. More than 300 million data, from many different domains, are now available online, varying from consumer prices, through poverty or environmental indicators, to detailed external trade data by product.

Initiated by the Commission in July 2003, this project was one of the largest projects ever undertaken by Eurostat, involving around 200 people and requiring extensive cooperation between all services.

The use of Eurostat’s site and data has already increased significantly. During November there were three times as many visitors to the website, over 400 000, than in earlier months this year. Furthermore, there has been a three-fold increase in the number of extractions of data, to over 135 000.

How to get the information?

According to the needs of the user, there are two ways to access the data through Eurostat’s site at http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat. From the homepage, the “data” link takes general users to the “Key indicators on EU policy”. These are predefined tables, which include “short-term indicators”, “long-term indicators” and “structural indicators”. For specialist users, “database” contains more detailed data, which can be extracted online. There are links to the methodology, which follows the IMF’s common “Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)”. The database is updated daily.

Electronic versions of all Eurostat publications are also available free of charge online, and can be downloaded in PDF format.

To provide help and guidance to Internet users of European statistical data, a new user support facility has been in operation since 1 October 2004, with a central support function in Eurostat and, at the moment, 17 national support centres based in National Statistical Institutes. Contact details of all national and central support centres can be found through the “contact” link on every page of the Eurostat site.

Published by:
Eurostat Press Office

BECH Building
L-2920 Luxembourg

Tel: +352-4301 33 444
Fax: +352-4301 35 349
eurostat-pressoffice@cec.eu.int

Eurostat News Releases on the Internet:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat