The ZEW regularly compiles the study "The Economic Importance of Family Enterprises in Germany" for the Stiftung Familienunternehmen  in cooperation with ifm Mannheim. For this purpose, data from the ZEW's Mannheim Enterprise Panel (MUP) are used, which allows for an analysis of ownership structures for the private sector in Germany. The results of these studies show that about 90 percent of German companies are family-controlled. Slightly more than 85 percent can be classified as owner-managed family businesses. The aim of a new study is to examine the corporate landscape in other European countries and to determine the proportion of family businesses for a European comparison. The data basis for such an analysis will be the Orbis corporate database from Bureau van Dijk. This offer is not initially a proposal for the design of such a study, but rather a feasibility study. It is intended to determine in advance whether the Orbis database is suitable for calculating and comparing indicators for family-controlled companies and owner-managed family businesses for different countries.