This is a list of NUTS regions in the European Union by GDP. The European Union uses a classification for subnational territory called Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (French: Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques) (commonly abbreviated as NUTS). The NUTS 1 classification is applied to a group of regions, NUTS 2 for regions and NUTS 3 as subdivisions of regions. There are also two levels (NUTS 4 and 5) which relate to local administrative unit levels. Countries agree a NUTS classification with the European Commission. Geddes notes that NUTS level 2 is "particularly important", because they often exist as territorial-government divisions and are used for regional policies by countries. NUTS 1 typically has a population of 3-7 million; NUTS 2 0.8-3 million; and