Qu'est-ce que NACE Codes ?

Definition

NACE (Nomenclature des Activités Économiques de la Communauté Européenne) is the European standard classification system for economic activities, used to categorise businesses by their principal economic activity. In Belgium, companies declare their NACE codes upon BCE registration, and these codes determine the applicable joint committee, sectoral CCTs, and statistical reporting obligations.

In practice

The NACE nomenclature has a hierarchical structure: 21 sections (letter codes), 88 divisions (2-digit), 272 groups (3-digit), and 615 classes (4-digit). The current revision, NACE Rev. 2.1, is used across all EU member states. Belgian companies often have multiple NACE codes — a primary activity code and several secondary ones. Key practical implications of NACE codes include: joint committee determination (which collective agreement applies), VAT rate eligibility (certain codes trigger specific VAT regimes), statistical reporting obligations, and sector-specific fund contributions. In BarnAI's matching algorithm, NACE sector codes are used to measure alignment between employer activity sectors and candidate professional backgrounds — ensuring candidates are connected with companies in sectors where their experience is most directly relevant. Employers can declare or update their NACE codes through the BCE registration process or via their company's official representatives.

Key takeaway

NACE codes determine much more than statistical categories — they define your sectoral obligations, applicable collective agreements and, in platforms like BarnAI, which candidates match your company profile.