How is the transition timetable read?

The transition timetable is not one date. It is a set of dates, set by different instruments, for different statistical domains and different countries. The EUR-Lex summary states that application to data transmission runs from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2031 (FIXED range), depending on the statistical domain. A reader who treats the start of that range as the date for every statistic will misread the timetable. The controlling question is always which domain and which country the statistic belongs to.

What does FIXED mean on this site?

FIXED means a date in force, a date applying, or a date on a published timetable. The EUR-Lex summary gives the range from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2031 (FIXED range) for data transmission. Eurostat states that NACE Rev. 2.1 is to be used for European statistics from 2025 onwards (FIXED, as stated by Eurostat), while statistics for 2008 to 2024 use NACE Rev. 2. Those statements fix the frame. They do not fix the date for any single domain inside the frame. A domain date must be read from the instrument or the Eurostat page for that domain.

EXPECTED means a proposal, a target, a consultation date, or an expectation that has not been fixed. A plan to publish, a recommendation, or a timetable described as planned is EXPECTED until the instrument that fixes it is published. The two labels are not grades of importance. They record the status of the date itself. A date that was once EXPECTED can become FIXED when the timetable is published, and a FIXED date can be amended by a later instrument. The check is the current text, not the first text seen.

What three questions does a timetable entry need?

Every timetable entry needs a subject, a reference period, and a source. The subject is the domain, the dataset, or the register. The reference period is the period the statistic describes, not the date the statistic is published. The source is the instrument or the Eurostat page that sets the date. An entry that lacks one of the three cannot be checked. The table below shows the shape of a complete entry, using only dates verified from the EUR-Lex summary and Eurostat pages consulted for this guide.

Entry	Subject	Date	Status
1	Data transmission, all domains in the range	From 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2031	FIXED range
2	European statistics, general use	From 2025 onwards	FIXED, as stated by Eurostat
3	Statistics for the earlier period	2008 to 2024	FIXED period, NACE Rev. 2
4	A single domain, where no domain date was found	No date published	As checked on 28 October 2026

The fourth row matters. Where no domain date was found in the pages consulted, this site records that no date was published, rather than borrowing a date from another domain. That record is itself useful, because it tells the reader that the next step is a check of the domain page, not an assumption.

Why does the reference period matter more than the publication date?

A statistic published in a given year can describe an earlier reference period, and a statistic for a recent reference period can be published under the older classification while a domain is still in transition. Eurostat describes backcasting and double reporting for this reason, so that historical series can be presented on the new basis and so that both versions can be sent in parallel for a period. A reader who compares two tables without checking the classification version and the reference period may compare a Rev. 2 series with a Rev. 2.1 series and mistake a classification change for a change in the economy. The version label and the reference period belong together in every citation of a figure.

What does a code not do in a timetable?

A timetable date does not change the meaning of a code, and it does not decide the entry held for a specific business. The legislation, as summarised by EUR-Lex, only applies to the use of the classification for statistical purposes, and it does not oblige member states to collect, publish or supply data. A date on which a domain moves to NACE Rev. 2.1 is a date about statistical transmission and publication. It is not a date on which a business is reclassified for tax, licensing or funding purposes. The entry for a specific business is confirmed with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record, on that register’s own timetable.

Where is a timetable date confirmed?

The meaning of a category is in the Eurostat explanatory notes. The move of an activity between versions is in the correspondence tables. The timetable for a domain is in the instrument for that domain and on the Eurostat transition page. The timetable for a country is in the publication of the national statistical institute of the country concerned. Check the domain instrument first, then the Eurostat transition page, then the institute page, and record all three with the date label that each source supports.