  The ``local'' structure of a quantum group G_q is currently considered to be
an infinite-dimensional object: the corresponding quantum universal enveloping
algebra U_q(g), which is a Hopf algebra deformation of the universal enveloping
algebra of a n-dimensional Lie algebra g=Lie(G). However, we show how, by
starting from the generators of the underlying Lie bialgebra (g,\delta), the
analyticity in the deformation parameter(s) allows us to determine in a unique
way a set of n ``almost primitive'' basic objects in U_q(g), that could be
properly called the ``quantum algebra generators''. So, the analytical
prolongation (g_q,\Delta) of the Lie bialgebra (g,\delta) is proposed as the
appropriate local structure of G_q. Besides, as in this way (g,\delta) and
U_q(g) are shown to be in one-to-one correspondence, the classification of
quantum groups is reduced to the classification of Lie bialgebras. The su_q(2)
and su_q(3) cases are explicitly elaborated.
