The national accounts have the task of providing, in quantitative terms, an overall picture of economic activity that is as clear and as comprehensive as possible.

The European System of Accounts (ESA) 2010 is the EU’s framework for compiling key macroeconomic statistics, such as the national accounts, the financial accounts and the balance sheets of Member States. It is based on the UN’s System of National Accounts (SNA) 2008, which is applicable worldwide.