Established in 1990, the European Builders Confederation - EBC - is a European professional organisation representing national associations of micro-companies and SMEs working in the construction sector. The construction sector is of vital importance to the European Economy. With 3 million enterprises, an annual turnover of around € 1600 billion and a total direct workforce of 13 million, the construction sector contributes at around 10% to the GDP of the European Union. 99.9% of the European construction sector is composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, which produce 80% of the construction industry's output. Small enterprises (less than 50 employees) are responsible for 60% of the production and employ 70% of the sector's working population.