Microdata Exchange (MDE): why Intrastat arrivals reporting is shrinking
If you've noticed that more EU countries are raising thresholds or scrapping arrivals (import) reporting, there is one mechanism behind the trend: the Micro-Data Exchange (MDE), also known as SIMSTAT, introduced under Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 (the European Business Statistics framework). MDE lets member states securely exchange export microdata. Because one country's dispatches are another country's arrivals, statistical offices can increasingly compile import statistics from partner countries' export data instead of collecting them directly from businesses.
This is why Finland abolished Intrastat import declarations from 2026 and Estonia discontinued arrivals from 2025, and why several countries keep raising arrivals thresholds. The data exchange runs through a secure hub administered by Eurostat; each member state only receives the microdata relevant to its own imports, and it is not redisseminated.
Hungary shows how this works in practice. For 2026, companies with EU import turnover up to HUF 4.5 billion that demonstrated excellent data quality the previous year - measured by comparing their arrivals reports against MDE data - can be exempted from arrivals reporting, with the statistical office substituting the MDE data instead. The exemption is monitored continuously: if significant discrepancies appear and turnover exceeds the threshold, the arrivals obligation is reinstated. The lesson is that data quality on the dispatch side increasingly determines whether reporting can be simplified elsewhere.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics (EUR-Lex). See also Eurostat – International trade in goods.