Business services
Measurement of international trade in business services
The Banque de France collects data on international trade in services (excluding travel) directly from companies, while at the same time endeavouring to keep companies’ reporting burden to a minimum. Data are required to comply with the international benchmark methodology on trade in services, to ensure their quality and international comparability.
The data collection system is part of the European and national legal framework.
Companies submit information on their international trade in services via two surveys: the Relevé de transactions économiques (RTE – Statement of economic transactions) and the Enquête complémentaire sur les échanges internationaux de services (ECEIS – Supplementary survey on international trade in services).
The Banque de France publishes statistics on trade in services on its website.
Reporting
International trade in services in the RTE and ECEIS surveys
Companies that make the most significant contribution to France’s international trade in services are subject to the general direct reporting procedure. They are required to declare their trade in services on a monthly basis via the RTE survey.
Under Decision No. 2007-01 of the Monetary Committee of the Banque de France General Council on the collection of statistics for the compilation of the balance of payments and international investment position of France, the euro area and the European Community: industrial and commercial corporations, together with insurance and reinsurance companies governed by the French Insurance Code (Code des assurances), engaging in foreign transactions of any type and through any means, for amounts that exceed EUR 30 million in any given calendar year for at least one item of services or income in the balance of payments current account, are required to report, directly and on a monthly basis, all cross-border transactions or transactions carried out with non-residents in France.
The other companies may be asked to fill in the ECEIS survey, which is conducted annually on a random sample of firms, and recognised by the Conseil National de l’Information Statistique (CNIS – National Statistical Information Board) as being in the public interest and of a high statistical quality.
Methodology
Application of international trade regulations in measuring services
The Banque de France applies international benchmark methodologies for measuring France’s trade in services.
The general framework for measuring trade in services is set out in the 6th Edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The BPM6 classifies internationally traded services according to several main categories:
Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others (“Goods for processing”)
- Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.
- Transport
- Construction
- Insurance and pension services
- Financial services
- Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e.
- Telecommunications, computer and information services
- Other business services
- Research and development
- Professional and management consulting services
- Technical, trade-related and other business services
- Personal, cultural and recreational services
- As a reminder: General government goods and services n.i.e.
Service transactions are recorded in the international accounts at the time the related service is provided.
The principles laid down in BPM6 have been supplemented by the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS) published jointly by seven international institutions [the United Nations, Eurostat, the IMF, the OECD, UNCTAD, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Trade Organization]. The MSITS provides a more detailed breakdown of transaction classification by type of service in the Extended Balance of Payments Services Classification (EBOPS). It extends the meaning of trade in services to cover services delivered through locally established enterprises. In particular, it meets the information needs set down in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
View documents
Methodology
Outils statistique
Manual
Outils statistique
MSITS 2010
Outils statistique
Regulations
The Banque de France collects data on trade in business services in accordance with European and national legal frameworks.
Article L. 141-6 of the French Monetary and Financial Code states that the Banque de France is responsible for establishing France’s balance of payments and international investment position [and] contributes to the compilation of the overall external position of the euro area in the framework of its membership of the European System of Central Banks, as well as to the establishment of the statistics of the European Union in the area of balance of payments, international trade in services and foreign direct investments. The Banque de France “has the authority to obtain from […] industrial and commercial corporations any documents and information required to carry out its basic tasks”.
Companies that make the most significant contribution to France’s international trade in services are subject to the general direct reporting procedure.
Statistics
Statistics on international trade in services (imports and exports)
The Banque de France publishes statistics on French international trade in services on its Webstat interactive statistics portal.
The Eurostat database contains trade in services statistics for European Union member countries.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publishes data on trade in services for its member countries.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) publishes data on trade in services for the broadest set of countries.
Browse statistics
Webstat
Outils statistique
Eurostat: European database
Outils statistique
OECD: International trade in services
Outils statistique
IMF: BOP/IIP
Outils statistique
Analyses
Publications dealing with statistics on international trade in services
Analyses carried out on statistics on companies' international trade in services help to provide an understanding of their international activities and expansion.
- France’s international trade in services
View document
Services by mode of supply
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) distinguishes between four modes of supply for international trade: cross-border supply (mode 1); consumption abroad (mode 2); commercial presence (mode 3); and presence of natural persons (mode 4).
When all modes of supply are taken into consideration, sales to non-residents (exports) exceed purchases of foreign services (imports) by over EUR 200 billion, reflecting both competitiveness based on know-how and a specialisation in sectors that require a local commercial presence.
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Updated on the 9th of February 2024