Glossary
Air cargo transport
Carriage of goods by aircraft at Amsterdam and Maastricht airports. Air cargo flows encompass all transportation by airlines that includes carriage of goods, also in combination with carriage of passengers and mail, against payment. There is no data on domestic transport of goods in aviation. The scope is estimated to be so small that this data is not included in the total.
Born global
An enterprise which pursues international trade activities (goods or services) starting from the year of its establishment.
Cabotage and third-country transport
Carriage to and from third countries. Note: cross-border transportation of goods does not include carriage undertaken entirely abroad in Dutch vehicles.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
CO2 is mainly produced when hydrocarbon fuels are burned. It is a greenhouse gas and leads to global warming.
Control of enterprises
The control of enterprises is determined on the basis of the country where strategic decision-making takes place. This control lies with the Ultimate Controlling Institutional Unit (UCI). Foreign control means that the country of residence of the UCI is a country other than the Netherlands.
Cross-border goods transport
Goods transport between the Netherlands and other countries, in which either the place of loading or the place of unloading is outside the Netherlands. It concerns the carriage of goods by both Dutch and foreign means of transport in relation to Dutch territory with the place of either loading or unloading situated in the Netherlands. Cross-border goods transport does not include carriage undertaken entirely abroad in Dutch vehicles (cabotage and third-country transport). Cross-border goods transport also does not include carriage by delivery vans.
Discontinuing exporter
A discontinuing exporter is an enterprise which does not export goods or services in year T, nor in T-1, but which did export these goods or services in year T-2. The enterprise must still be in existence in year T in order to be listed as discontinuing exporter.
Domestic exports (Dutch-manufactured exports)
Exports after production in the Netherlands, or after significant processing of foreign-produced goods (taking into account the level of adjustments in the product’s HS code). Re-exports and domestic exports combined constitute the basis of total Dutch export figures.
Dutch business economy
The General Business Register (ABR) is based on the Dutch Standard Industrial Classification (SBI) which classifies business units according to their main activity. The business economy in the Netherlands comprises all enterprises listed in the Standard Industrial Classification (Dutch SBI 2008) sections B up to and including N, exclusive of K plus S95. This classification is referred to internationally as non-financial business economy.
This category is composed of the following sectors:
B Mining and quarrying
C Manufacturing
D Production and distribution of and trade in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
E Water supply; sewerage, waste and wastewater management and remediation services
F Construction
G Wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle repair
H Transportation and storage
I Accommodation and food service activities
J Information and communication
L Renting, buying and selling of real estate
M Consultancy, research and other specialised business services
N Renting and leasing of tangible goods and other business support services
S95 Repair of personal and household goods
Emissions
Actual emissions to air from stationary and mobile sources on or above Dutch territory and the Dutch part of the Continental Shelf (DCS). The emissions are calculated by multiplying data on activities, for instance vehicle kilometres and fuel consumption, by emission factors.
Emission factor
Emission per activity unit, for example per kilometre travelled or per kilogram of fuel consumed.
Emission factor for cross-border transport
Factor indicating how many kilograms of goods can be transported across borders with 1 kilogram of emission.
Enterprise
The actual transactor in the production process, characterised by self-sufficiency with respect to the decisions about that process and by offering its products to third parties. An enterprise comprises one or several legal entities. A distinctive feature is the autonomy in the decision-making with regard to production taking place within this composite entity. The Dutch component of an entity whose activities extend across multiple countries is considered an enterprise in itself for the sake of national statistics.
Enterprise group
‘The statistical unit of the EU’s production system, consisting of the smallest combination of legal units (or equivalent). It is an organisational unit that produces goods and services and has a certain degree of independence in power of decision, especially with regard to how its current assets are used. It may consist of one or more legal units and carry out one or more activities in one or more locations. See also: enterprise.
Entrepreneur
A person who works for his/her own account and risk in his/her own company or practice (self-employed) or as a salaried director of his/her own company (director-major shareholder).
European Continental Shelf
The Continental Shelf is an area that is located between the low water mark and a water depth of 200 metres, and a maximum of 200 miles from the coast. Between 1960 and 1975, the North Sea states concluded treaties to define the land borders on the Continental Shelf. Actual emissions from transport and mobile equipment with engines, including foreign means of transport and shipping on the Dutch part of the (European) Continental Shelf (DCS) are part of the mobile sources.
Export earnings
The value of gross exports minus the consumption of imported raw materials, intermediate products and support services.
Exports
The sum of Dutch domestic exports and re-exports.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
An enterprise receiving direct investments from abroad is an enterprise in which a foreign investor holds at least 10% of the ordinary share capital or the voting rights, or the equivalent thereof. This involves having a controlling interest and substantial influence on the management of the enterprise. Direct investment consists of share capital, participating interests in group companies abroad and credit lending.
Foreign-owned enterprise
A foreign-owned enterprise is classified according to the country where it is ultimately controlled. This is done based on the Ultimate Controlling Institutional Unit (UCI). The UCI is defined as that enterprise which is placed higher up in the chain of control of the Dutch enterprise that is not under the ultimate control of any other company or enterprise. Foreign control means that the country where the UCI is established is not the Netherlands.
Foreign subsidiary
If a Dutch company holds a majority stake in a foreign company, this company is a subsidiary of a Dutch company, or a foreign company under Dutch control. There is no minimum amount of investment or minimum share of voting rights in the foreign company. Such investments abroad, made by a company in the Netherlands and under Dutch control (Dutch multinational), are aimed at building up a lasting interest in a foreign company.
FTE
A measure of labour volume, calculated by converting all full-time and part-time jobs to full-time jobs. Two half-time jobs (0.5 FTE each) add up to a labour volume of one labour year.
Gross domestic product (GDP)
GDP is a measure for the size of a country’s economy. This is calculated from the sum of the value added by enterprises, households and governments to the goods and services they have used in their production activities. This sum is referred to as the value added at basic prices. To arrive at GDP at market prices, the balance of taxes on production plus other subsidies is added as well as the difference between the attributed VAT and paid VAT.
Gross weight
Estimated gross weight of goods transported expressed in thousands of kilograms. Gross weight includes the weight of the goods and packaging, but excludes the weight of the container in which the goods are transported.
Imports
The sum of imports for domestic use and imports for re-export.
Imports for domestic use/expenditure
Goods, destined for Dutch residents, transported from a foreign country into the economic territory of the Netherlands. Included are raw materials needed for processing in the production process, semi-manufactures, fuels and fixed assets earmarked for investment.
Imports for re-export
Goods entering the Netherlands which are (temporarily) owned by a resident of the Netherlands and subsequently leave the Netherlands without having undergone any significant industrial processing.
Import intensity
The import intensity ratio is an indicator of the degree of international competitive pressure in the local market. It is expressed as a percentage share which shows to what extent domestic demand for goods or services depends on foreign imports. The higher the import intensity ratio, the larger the contribution of imports in meeting the total demand for goods and services.
Inbound transport; total
The total of goods carried into the territory of the Netherlands. Excluded is transit without transhipment on Dutch territory. Total inbound transport is equal to the sum of imports, inbound quasi-transit, inbound transport transit and the warehouse balance.
Independent SMEs
Independent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise all businesses in the Netherlands owned by Dutch residents with total numbers of employed persons in the entire organisation falling below 250.
Inland shipping freight transport
Traffic and transport by inland vessels, including foreign vessels, on Dutch waterways.
Intellectual property
A collective term for rights granted on detailed ideas and concepts, for example patents, trademarks and copyrights.
Intermediate goods
Inputs in the production process, such as raw materials, semi-manufactures and fuels. An intermediate product is used during the production process. It is often transformed and then incorporated into the end product. Intermediate goods are therefore used to make other products.
Internationally active enterprise
A company is internationally active when it is a multinational enterprise, or when it conducts international trade in goods and/or services.
Internationally active entrepreneur
Entrepreneur who trades internationally or is at the helm of a multinational.
International production chain (global value chain)
An international production chain comprises all activities – in more than one country – that are required to deliver a product or service from the concept phase through the various production stages to end users and post-use processing.
International trade in goods
International trade in goods involves Dutch residents who deliver goods to locations outside the Netherlands, and residents abroad who deliver goods to locations in the Netherlands. In intra-EU imports, this is the value of the goods including freight and insurance costs up to the Dutch border. In extra-EU imports, this is the value of the goods including freight and insurance costs up to the external border of the European Union. The export value is including freight and insurance costs up to the Dutch border. This is in line with the International Trade in Goods (ITG) statistics.
International trade in services
International trade in services occurs when a resident of one country provides economic services to residents of another country. Services are products that are generally not tangible, such as transportation, business services and personal, cultural and recreational services. Dutch residents refer to enterprises and individuals that engage in economic activities from any location in the Netherlands that has been in use for more than one year.
Investments in tangible fixed assets
Goods which are purchased or produced in-company for use as capital assets in the production process. This includes goods that have a life span exceeding one year, such as buildings, dwellings, machinery, transport vehicles and the like.
Large enterprise
All companies established in the Netherlands as part of a group of companies with at least 250 employed persons and/or part of a group of companies under foreign control.
Mainport
A hub where important connections and activity flows in both the Netherlands and abroad conjoin and separate again.
Maritime freight transport
Traffic and transport by seagoing vessels to and from Dutch seaports and on the Dutch portion of the continental shelf. Emissions from stationary seagoing vessels in ports and sailing and manoeuvring seagoing vessels on Dutch territory contribute to the actual emissions.
Data on domestic maritime freight transport is not known. The scope is estimated to be so small that such data is not included in the total.
Mobile sources; total
Mobile sources are means of transport and mobile equipment with a combustion engine, including foreign means of transport and shipping on the Dutch part of the (European) Continental Shelf.
Multinational
An enterprise with a parent or subsidiary abroad. See also: foreign subsidiary.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Nitrogen oxides are produced during all forms of high-temperature combustion, for example in an internal combustion engine. Compared to petrol, diesels produce more NOx, because combustion takes place at higher pressure and consequently at a higher temperature.
Non-multinational
An enterprise without a parent or subsidiary abroad.
Outbound transport; total
The total of goods which has been carried from the territory of the Netherlands to a foreign country. Excluded is transit without transhipment on Dutch territory. Total outbound transport is equal to the sum of exports and outbound transit trade.
Outsourcing
International outsourcing of business activities to foreign suppliers.
Pipeline transport
The transport of liquid and gaseous cargo via pipelines.
PM10 (Particulate matter)
Particulate matter (PM10 = particulates with diameter smaller than 10 micrometres).
Among other causes, PM10 is formed during the combustion of diesel oil, various industrial processes,wear and tear on tyres and brakes , and storage and transhipment. Detrimental to health, penetrates deep into the lungs.
Quasi transit trade
Import of foreign goods that undergo little or no processing upon arrival in the Netherlands and are then forwarded again to a foreign country. The goods are owned by a foreign company while they are in the Netherlands (as opposed to re-exports). Furthermore, at least one of the following administrative tasks must be completed in the Netherlands in order to be deemed quasi transit.
- Upon arrival in the Netherlands, goods from outside the EU are cleared through customs;
- The goods leave the Netherlands and the EU and an export document is drawn up by customs;
- The international goods are stored in the Netherlands for at least one day. This makes the owner subject to VAT and therefore the owner has to register for VAT.
The quasi transit is not part of the Dutch trade figures, but is included in the European trade figures (Eurostat). See also: transit trade.
Rail freight transport
Traffic and transport using Dutch and foreign railway equipment on the Dutch railway network. It includes emissions from diesel traction freight transport, but not emissions due to electricity generation. In addition, emissions (particulate matter) due to wear and tear of overhead wires and the pantographs in electric traction.
Re-exports
Goods which, after being imported into the Netherlands, undergo little or no significant processing before being exported from the Netherlands again. Unlike in quasi transit trade, the goods are (temporarily) owned by a resident enterprise while in the Netherlands. Re-exports and domestic exports combined constitute the basis of total Dutch export figures.
Road freight transport
Traffic and transport by vehicles specially equipped for the carriage of goods by road. It concerns goods transport with Dutch and foreign means of transport in relation to Dutch territory with loading or unloading in the Netherlands. These are lorries, trailers and semi-trailers, and delivery vans.
Royalties
Remuneration payments for the ongoing use of someone else’s intellectual property rights. Examples include copyrights, trademark rights and patent rights.
Special Purpose Entity (SPE)
Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) are subsidiaries of foreign enterprises which are established in the Netherlands that act as cross-border financial intermediaries between various composite entities of the group in which they operate. The receivables and liabilities of these institutions usually concern direct investments from one country to another via the Netherlands, or channelling of resources collected abroad to the foreign parent. In this respect, SPEs are dedicated legal entities concerned with securitisations. As part of the securitisation transaction, an SPE takes over assets and/or credit risks and issues securities, securitisation fund units, other debt instruments and/or financial derivatives, or is the owner of any underlying assets. An SPE is safeguarded against the risk of bankruptcy or other default of the initiator (also referred to as ‘originator’, for example the institution transferring assets and/or credit risks to the SPE).
Starting exporter
A starting exporter is an enterprise that exports goods or services in year T, but did not (yet) do so in both years T-1 and T-2, irrespective of the existence of the enterprise in those years.
Stationary sources
Fire sources (such as furnaces, stoves and boilers), industrial processes and other non-mobile activities such as the use of aerosols and paint and decomposition of manure (ammonia).
Transit trade
The sum of quasi transit, transport transit and warehouse transit.
Transport mode
The means of transport by which goods are transported across the Dutch border. Possible transport modes are: maritime transport, inland shipping, road transport, rail transport, air transport and pipeline transport. If the goods are means of transport that move across the border by themselves, the transport mode is equal to the transport means.
Transport transit trade
Goods which, in transit from one country to another, pass through Dutch territory and are transhipped from one means of transport to another or are temporarily stored in a customs warehouse, but are not cleared by Dutch customs and remain in foreign possession. These goods may be under customs supervision during the entire time they are in the Netherlands or they were already in free circulation before coming to the Netherlands. Excluded is transit trade without transhipment on Dutch territory.
Two-way trader
An enterprise or business establishment which both imports and exports either goods or services. This is unlike what is called a one-way trader, which is either a one-way importer or a one-way exporter.
Value added
The gross value added equals the production (in basic prices) minus intermediate consumption (excl. deductible VAT).
Warehouse traffic
Transit customs goods that are stored in a warehouse for a certain period of time after arrival in the Netherlands (a storage place for goods subject to import duties that have not yet been cleared). After release from the warehouse, goods can go directly abroad (warehouse transit) or be released in the Netherlands. In the latter case, the goods are imported, whether or not followed by re-export, or quasi-transit. This depends on the final destination and who is or will be the owner of the goods. The difference between storage in the warehouse and the release for free circulation in the Netherlands is called the warehouse balance.