01 / 20 The regulation behind NACE Rev. 2.1
What does the consolidated text show?
Published Updated
Statistical classification only
Statistical classification only. This guide does not determine any reader's code. Confirm a code with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record. This is general information, not advice on any reader's registration.
A consolidated text shows the original regulation with successive amendments incorporated into it, so that the current wording can be read in one document. The EUR-Lex summary states that successive amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 have been incorporated into the original text, and that the consolidated version is of documentary value only. That note is the key to using the text correctly. The consolidated text is a reading aid for the current structure. The original regulation and each amending instrument remain the legal record of what was set, and when.
What is incorporated, and what is the status note?
Incorporation means that the amendments are worked into the text of the original regulation, in the places where they change it. A reader of the consolidated text therefore sees the structure as amended, including the NACE Rev. 2.1 structure specified by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137. The reader does not need to assemble the changes from separate documents to understand the current categories. The status note qualifies that convenience. Documentary value only means that the consolidated text is provided for information and ease of reading, and that it does not itself carry the legal authority of the instruments it gathers. A question about the legal effect of a provision must be answered from the instrument that made the provision, not from the consolidated gathering alone.
The Eurostat manual follows the same pattern in its legal basis annex. It presents the consolidated version of the NACE Regulation, as well as the consolidated version of Regulation (EU) 2023/137, alongside the instruments themselves. The manual states that Regulation (EU) 2023/137, which established NACE Rev. 2.1 by amending the NACE Regulation, was published in January 2023 (FIXED). The annex therefore gives both the reading text and the instruments behind it, and a careful reader checks the instrument for dates and for the exact form of an amendment.
| Document | Status stated in the sources |
|---|---|
| Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 | Original instrument, 20 December 2006 (FIXED) |
| Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137 | Amending instrument, 10 October 2022 (FIXED) |
| Consolidated version | Successive amendments incorporated, documentary value only |
| Eurostat manual annex | Legal basis reproduced, including consolidated versions |
How is the consolidated text used for NACE?
The consolidated text is used to read the current structure in one place. The structure of NACE Rev. 2.1, with 22 sections, 87 divisions, 287 groups and 651 classes (FIXED, as adopted), is the structure as amended. A reader who wants to see how a section heading now reads, or how divisions are numbered after the split of the former Section J, can read the consolidated text for the current wording. A reader who wants to know when that wording took effect, or when it applies to data transmission, must turn to the amending instrument. The consolidated text shows the result. The amending instrument shows the timing.
The same care applies to the application range. The EUR-Lex summary states the range for data transmission, from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2031 (FIXED range), by domain. That range comes from the amending provisions, including later amendments to the application provisions for certain domains. A consolidated text that incorporates those amendments will show the current application wording, but the history of the range, and the instrument that set each part of it, can only be traced through the instruments themselves. This guide does not list later amending instruments, because the summary cited does not list them in the passage relied on, and a list without verification would add unverified detail.
What must not be inferred from a consolidated text?
A consolidated text must not be read as if it were a single instrument made on a single date. The dates in the consolidated text belong to different instruments: the original regulation dated 20 December 2006 (FIXED), the delegated regulation dated 10 October 2022 (FIXED), published in the Official Journal on 20 January 2023 (FIXED), and entering into force on 9 February 2023 (FIXED). Collapsing those dates into one date would misstate the history and the application timetable. Each date in this guide carries its label, and each date belongs to the instrument named beside it.
A consolidated text also must not be read as a determination for a specific business. It states categories and structure. It does not state the entry for a unit, and it does not apply the classification rules to the facts of a unit. The explanatory notes state what a category includes and excludes, the correspondence tables record moves between versions, and the institute or register that holds the record confirms an entry. The consolidated text is the starting point for the structure, not the end point for an entry.
Where is the consolidated text found?
The consolidated version is linked from the EUR-Lex summary, in the main documents section, where the summary notes that successive amendments have been incorporated into the original text. The Eurostat manual legal basis annex also presents consolidated versions. For the current structure, read the consolidated text. For the instrument, the date, and the application range, read the amending instrument on EUR-Lex. For a category, read the explanatory note. For an entry, confirm it with the institute or register that holds it.
Read the consolidated text for the current wording, read the delegated regulation for its dates, and confirm any entry with the institute or register that holds it.