Data and methodological information
This section provides methodological information on the survey on the access to finance of enterprises (SAFE) and access to the various types of data.
Why and how we carry out the survey
The majority of firms in the euro area are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These enterprises account for a major share of euro area turnover and employment.
SMEs are not just “scaled-down” versions of large businesses: it is likely that the monetary policy transmission mechanism is different for SMEs compared with large firms because of SMEs’ higher dependence on financing from banks. The results of this survey are therefore useful to the ECB in its decision-making.
The survey on access to finance of enterprises (SAFE) provides information on:
- Firms’ financing conditions, including needs and availability of financing and financing costs
- Firms’ economic conditions, including profits, turnover, investment, and costs
- Firms’ expectations about their selling prices, wages, and employment, as well as about euro area inflation
Methodological information
The methodological information on the SAFE provides a detailed description of the set-up of the survey and the general characteristics of the enterprises that participated in this survey, while also serving as a user guide for the anonymised micro dataset. The methodological information is supplemented by Annex 3 of this document.
- Methodological information on the survey and user guide for the anonymised micro dataset
- Annex 3 to the methodological information on the survey (including a summary of all changes introduced to the questionnaire over time and the general characteristics of the euro area enterprises that participated in the survey)
Access to the data
Data and report from the joint European Commission and ECB surveys
As of 2013, the data and report from the joint survey are published every year (previously every two years),
covering all EU Member States and a few other countries.
Aggregated results
The main aggregated results of the quarterly SAFE are available under the link below and cover all of the series used in the report.
A more comprehensive list of indicators is available under the ECB’s Data Portal accessible via this link:
Access to microdata
Given their sensitive nature, the microdata have been anonymised. The methodological information referred to above serves as a user guide for the microdata.
Access to the anonymised SAFE microdata is now available under the Public Use files.
By downloading the files, you agree to the following:
Anonymised microdata from the SAFE
Any questions can be addressed to the SAFE access team via the following email:
SAFE access
team