Data standards
The rules ERBA uses to collect a compliance cost and to decide how far that figure can be relied upon.
Our approach
ERBA exists to measure, objectively, the cumulative financial toll of European regulation on mid-market industry. The public record is a ledger of costs, not a statement of political preference.
Each contribution is an annual figure attached to a named obligation. Read together, those figures describe what the stock of rules costs firms that sit between the smallest enterprises and the largest groups — the part of the economy for which a cumulative total is still largely unknown.
Established frameworks
ERBA does not invent a private definition of regulatory cost. The methodology is grounded in the EU Better Regulation Toolbox, specifically Chapter 8, Tool #58 — the EU Standard Cost Model — and in the OECD Regulatory Compliance Cost Assessment.
Cost figures follow Chapter 8, Tool #58 — the EU Standard Cost Model. The model isolates the administrative and compliance activity a regulation requires, then prices that activity from time, fees and systems rather than from opinion.
The same boundary is used in the OECD Regulatory Compliance Cost Assessment: only costs caused by the regulatory obligation are counted, and they are separated from ordinary business activity.
ERBA also draws on the European Economic and Social Committee Regulatory Burden Index. A single rule is not the whole burden. The ledger is built to show cumulative effects and the extra complexity that appears when the same obligation crosses borders.
Defining compliance costs
ERBA measures the annual cost of complying with a specific European obligation. Businesses are asked to include three categories, and to leave ordinary commercial spending out.
Hours that employees spend on reporting, record-keeping and other compliance work required by the regulation.
Invoices for lawyers, auditors and consultants engaged to interpret or meet the obligation.
Software, implementation and maintenance bought specifically to collect, report or store the information the regulation demands.
Data verification tiers
Every published figure is labelled with one tier. A higher tier is not a larger number. It is a stronger claim about how the number was checked.
The organisation entered the figure. It is published as submitted and has not been checked against documents.
Supporting documents are on file. The figure stays in this tier until it is reviewed.
ERBA has reviewed the evidence and confirmed the figure against the stated methodology.
Self-Reported means the organisation entered the figure itself. It is shown as submitted.
Evidence Supplied means documentation has been provided securely to ERBA and is held for review. The file is not published.
Independently Verified means ERBA has reviewed that evidence and confirmed the figure against this methodology.