ECnomenklaturen

ECnomenklaturen are standardized nomenclatures created or adopted by the European Community to classify goods, services and economic activities for administrative, statistical and policy purposes. They provide a common vocabulary and coding framework that supports customs duties, trade statistics, market surveillance, procurement and economic analysis across EU member states. The term is widely used in German-language sources to refer to the family of EU classification systems governing production, trade and regional statistics.

Key examples include the Combined Nomenclature (CN), an eight-digit code used for customs duties and trade statistics, aligned with the Harmonized System. The Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) adds tariff measures, restrictions and other requirements to CN classifications. The NACE Rev. 2 system classifies economic activities at four-digit and higher levels for statistical purposes. The CPV, or Common Procurement Vocabulary, standardizes product and service descriptions in EU public procurement. The NUTS nomenclature partitions the territory into hierarchical regions for regional statistics. These systems are interrelated, with CN serving as a core goods classification that feeds TARIC and statistical data.

Maintenance is overseen by EU institutions, notably Eurostat and the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, with updates typically adopted through EU legislation and published in the Official Journal. Codes are numeric, often with fixed-digit structures, and each code is accompanied by a human-readable label. ECnomenklaturen enable rapid, comparable data across member states, underpin tariff policy, trade negotiations, public procurement, and regional statistics, while requiring regular updates to reflect economic and regulatory changes.