NUTS Codes

NUTS codes are developed and maintained by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The classification is hierarchical with three levels below the country level:

• NUTS 1 - Major socio-economic regions (3-7 million inhabitants). Examples: German federal states, French ZEAT regions, UK countries.
• NUTS 2 - Basic regions for regional policy (800,000-3 million inhabitants). This is the level most commonly used in public procurement for delivery locations. Examples: Spanish provinces, Italian regions, Polish voivodeships.
• NUTS 3 - Small regions for specific diagnoses (150,000-800,000 inhabitants). Examples: German districts (Kreise), French departments, UK counties.

Code Format

Each NUTS code starts with a two-letter country code (e.g., DE for Germany, FR for France), followed by 1-3 alphanumeric characters indicating the region at each level. For example:

• DE - Germany (country)
• DE2 - Bavaria (NUTS 1)
• DE21 - Upper Bavaria (NUTS 2)
• DE212 - Munich (NUTS 3)

Using NUTS Codes in Procurement

When publishing a contract notice on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), contracting authorities must specify the NUTS code(s) for the place of performance. For suppliers, this means you can filter tender opportunities by region when searching for relevant contracts.