ISCAP is an acronym for the Integrated System of Classifications of Activities and Products.
ISCAP was conceptually completed in the mid-1980s and provided the basis for revisions and harmonisation of international statistical classifications.
ISCAP distinguishes, from the aspect of international harmonisation of classifications, the following three levels:
- World level, regulated mainly by UN recommendations,
- European level, regulated by EU regulations and
- national level, regulated by national regulations (the Croatian level is also included here).
Considering the purpose of classifications, ISCAP covers the following types of classifications:
- classifications of economic activities,
- central classifications of products and services,
- product classifications that serve as the smallest building blocks as well as classifications for special research that are related to the central product classifications.
According to the stated purposes that should have been considered during the development of ISCAP, the basic concepts have been identified, which include the following:
- revision and harmonisation of classifications of UN and EU activities (ISIC/NACE)
- linking classifications of activities with product classifications (ISIC/CPC, NACE/CPA)
- harmonisation of product-oriented product classification and product classification for foreign trade in goods (HS/SITC, CN/PRODCOM)
- development of a central product classification (CPC/UN, CPA/EU)
- integration of HS as the smallest building block
- establishing a certain level of detail.
Scheme of the International Breakdown of the Integrated System of Classifications of Activities and Products – ISCAP
