Inward foreign affiliates statistics (Inward FATS) provides information on the number, structure and activity of Austrian enterprises that are part of a foreign group or otherwise controlled by units resident abroad. Here, control is defined by the ability to determine the general policy of an enterprise by choosing appropriate directors, if necessary. In most cases, this ability can be exercised by an investor holding a majority of the voting power or of the shares, directly or indirectly. FATS statistics uses 'ultimate control', i.e. identification of the unit, proceeding up a foreign affiliate's chain of control, which is not controlled by another institutional unit.
The total enterprise population is formed by the enterprises recorded in Austrian structural business statistics. The data is compiled annually and is primarily shown by sectors (NACE) and country of control. The legal basis is the national FATS Regulation, which was based on the European FATS Regulation (EC) No 716/2007 up to and including the reporting year 2020; from the reporting year 2021 onwards, it is based on Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 (EBS General Implementing Act).