Romania: what does the National Institute of Statistics publish for CAEN Rev. 3?

The National Institute of Statistics of Romania, INS, publishes CAEN Rev. 3, the third revision of the Classification of Activities in the National Economy, and states in a methodological note on its website that the new classification entered into force on 1 January 2025 (FIXED).

The note, published on the INS site, states that following the entry into force of CAEN Rev. 3, and the updating of the scope of activity of economic operators under the new classification, data collection for all statistical research carried out in enterprises will be carried out according to CAEN Rev. 3 starting with 2026 (FIXED). The note also states, for short term statistics, that retail turnover series will be calculated in the old version for 2026 to 2027 (FIXED range), and that calculation according to CAEN Rev. 3 will start in 2028 (FIXED), when the weighting system and base year change. Those dates are the institute’s own statistical timetable, as stated in its methodological note. They govern statistics. They do not, on their own, state the procedure for updating a Trade Registry entry, and this guide does not assert that procedure from a secondary source.

What does the INS note establish?

The INS note establishes three things. First, the name and the in force date: CAEN Rev. 3, in force from 1 January 2025 (FIXED). The note spells the classification CANE in one passage, and CAEN elsewhere, and this guide uses CAEN, the established name of the classification. Second, the statistical collection date: data collection under CAEN Rev. 3 starts with 2026 (FIXED) for statistical research in enterprises. Third, the short term series timetable: retail turnover indices in the old version for 2026 to 2027 (FIXED range), and in the new version from 2028 (FIXED), with the base year changing from 2021 to 2025 (FIXED). A reader who uses a Romanian statistic should therefore check which version a given series uses for a given year. A series for 2026 (FIXED) can use the old version for short term retail turnover, while data collection for other research uses the new version. The version note in each publication resolves the apparent contradiction.

INS statement	Date or period	Governs
CAEN Rev. 3 in force	1 January 2025 (FIXED)	Classification
Data collection under CAEN Rev. 3	From 2026 (FIXED)	Statistical research in enterprises
Retail series, old version	2026 to 2027 (FIXED range)	Short term retail turnover indices
Retail series, new version	From 2028 (FIXED)	Calculation with new weighting and base year

The table above follows the INS methodological note. It states no Trade Registry procedure, because no procedure was stated in the note fetched for this guide.

How does CAEN Rev. 3 relate to NACE Rev. 2.1?

CAEN Rev. 3 is the Romanian national version of NACE Rev. 2.1. The European classification is set by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137 of 10 October 2022 (FIXED), which entered into force on 9 February 2023 (FIXED), and applies to data transmission from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2031 (FIXED range) depending on the domain. The Romanian classification follows the European structure at the shared levels, with 22 sections, 87 divisions, 287 groups and 651 classes in the European structure (FIXED, as adopted). A reader should check the European structure in Eurostat documents and the Romanian structure in INS publications together. The European documents show the common backbone. The INS documents show the Romanian headings. This guide does not list Romanian codes or titles, because no code list was verified on an INS page fetched for this work, and a list copied from a secondary summary, including a law firm summary, could misstate a heading or a rename.

How should a Romanian code be checked?

A Romanian code should be checked in the INS publications for the heading, in the Eurostat correspondence table for the movement between versions, and in the register that holds the entry for the specific unit. The INS note fetched for this guide concerns statistical methodology, not register procedure. A reader who needs the entry for a specific unit, or the procedure for updating an entry, should ask the Trade Registry and the INS through the channels they state, and should not rely on a procedure described in a secondary summary as if it were the institute’s or the registry’s position. A code found in a dataset should be read with its version, its reference period, and its source stated. A bare code is ambiguous after a revision, because the same digits can sit in different places under different versions, and a code copied at one time may not be the current entry.

What does a CAEN code not decide?

A CAEN code does not decide any question about a specific business beyond its statistical description. It does not decide tax, social security, licensing, funding or collective agreement questions. The EUR-Lex summary states that the European legislation only applies to statistical purposes. The classification groups activities for statistics. Other bodies apply their own rules to the questions they decide. The entry for a specific unit is confirmed with the National Institute of Statistics or the Trade Registry that holds the record. This site holds no register and decides no entry. A reader who needs the register procedure should confirm it with the Trade Registry directly, because no procedure was verified on an institute page for this guide, and a secondary account must not be presented as the registry’s position.

INS states CAEN Rev. 3 in force from 1 January 2025 (FIXED), statistical collection under the new version from 2026 (FIXED), and short term retail calculation under the new version from 2028 (FIXED), and each publication note shows which version its figures use.