The tangible goods produced by cultural sectors - books, newspapers, journals and periodicals, DVDs, CDs, musical instruments - are traded internationally. The same is true for works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques. These are the main cultural goods listed in the classification used for compiling external trade statistics (the Combined Nomenclature).
Eurostat’s Comext database covers all goods exchanged by the EU Member States, EFTA and candidates countries with all partner countries (including EU Member States).
There are two underlying data sets: one for intra-EU trade, the other for trade with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade).
Products are coded and described in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature (CN8), which follows the structure of the harmonised system (HS). In total, more than 10 000 eight-digit headings are included. The CN is subject to annual revisions to ensure that the CN is kept up to date, in line with changes in technology or in international trade patterns.
These data are drawn from external trade statistics collected from customs and VAT declarations on trade in goods. Information on international trade for the EU-27 is calculated as the sum of trade with countries outside this area. In other words, the EU-27 is considered as a single trading entity and the trade flows into and out of the area (but not within it) are measured. On the other hand, international trade flows for individual Member States and other countries are generally presented with the rest of the world as the trading partner, including trade with other Member States (intra-EU trade).
Please note that these statistics concern only tangible goods and do not include external trade in licences or copyrights, although such intellectual property rights are important in the literary, musical and audiovisual fields. Imports of books, CDs or DVDs may include simple printing or pressing outside the country of publication.
Unfortunately, data on trade in licences and copyrights are not available, and the balance of payments does not allow a distinction between industrial patents, franchises, copyrights and licences.
Moreover, when a publisher from an EU Member State, or from a non-EU country but with a seat in the EU, releases a DVD of an American movie or a CD of an Asian band, the DVD or CD in question is considered as an EU product and the export of this DVD or CD to another EU country is considered as intra-EU trade.
