The European Central Bank (ECB) and Eurostat publish quarterly euro area and European Union (EU)(1) accounts for institutional sectors (the European sector accounts), back to the first quarter of 1999(2). The data are released every four months after the reference quarter.
Macroeconomic developments, such as economic growth and inflation, are driven by the actions of the individual economic subjects in an economy. Grouping economic subjects with similar behaviour into institutional sectors (households, non-financial corporations, financial corporations and government) greatly helps to understand the functioning of the economy.
The compilation of quarterly European sector accounts is the outcome of a close collaboration by Eurostat, the ECB, the national statistical institutes and the national central banks in the European Union.
In this section of the Eurostat website, sector accounts data and related comments are provided under "News" (news releases), "Data" and "Charts".
Under "Concepts" are explained the notions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 95) which are relevant for sector accounts.
Information about the compilation of the quarterly sector accounts of the euro area and of the EU are provided under "Methodology".
(1)For all quarters, the accounts refer to a euro area of 16 countries and an EU of 27 countries.
(2)The euro area accounts are available at http://www.ecb.int/stats/acc/html/index.en.html (ECB), Eurostat Website and Eurostat data. Detailed figures for non-financial accounts of the European Union are only available on the website of Eurostat at the above address.
