Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Department for Environment, Energy and Regional Statistics

Zelenih beretki 26, 71 000 - Sarajevo

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) provide an aggregate overview, in thousand tonnes per year, of the material flows into and out of an economy. EW-MFA cover solid, gaseous, and liquid materials, except for bulk flows of water and air. Like the system of national accounts, EW-MFA constitute a multi-purpose information system. The detailed material flows provide a rich empirical database for numerous analytical purposes. Further, EW-MFA are used to derive various material flow indicators.

The National Statistical Institute (NSI) sent to Eurostat on yearly basis the EW-MFA. The accounts comprise the following reporting tables:

• Table A 'Domestic extraction (DE)': records material flows from the environment into the economy in a detailed breakdown by type of material
• Table B 'Imports - total imports (intra- and extra-EU) and Table D 'Exports – total exports (intra- and extra-EU)': These physical trade tables record the imports and exports of products in thousand tonnes and grouped by materials.
• Table F 'Domestic processed output (DPO)': records material flows from the economy to the domestic environment (e.g. emissions to air, water and soil)
• Table G 'Balancing items': reports some memorandum items which are necessary to have the full material balance related to a national economy
• Table H 'Indicators': presents the EW-MFA derived indicators which are automatically calculated from Table A to G

Table I 'Material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (RME)': records material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (MFA-RME). Some items are calculated automatically based on data reported in Table A and Table I

EW-MFA record physical flows of materials broken down by type of flow and by type of material.

The type of flow dimension corresponds to the EW-MFA questionnaire reporting tables and derived indicators, namely:

• domestic extraction (Table A)
• physical imports (Table B)
• physical exports (Table D)
• domestic processed output (Table F)
• balancing items (Table G)
• direct material input (indicator)
• domestic material consumption (indicator)
• physical trade balance (indicator)

The breakdown by type of material employs a classification of materials. This EW-MFA classification of materials is hierarchical with main material flow categories (1-digit level). Each main category is further broken down, maximal down to 4-digit-level:

    1-digit: material category;

    2-digit: material class;

    3-digit: material group;

    4-digit: material sub-group.

The data refer to national economies as defined in the system of national accounts.

Conceptually economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) belong to the international system of environmental economic accounting (SEEA-Central Framework). Furthermore, EW-MFA is one of several physical modules of Eurostat's programme on European environmental economic accounts. It is covered by Regulation (EU) No. 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts.

EW-MFA are closely related to concepts and definitions of national accounts. Most notably they follow the residence principle, i.e. they record material flows related to resident unit's activities, regardless where those occur geographically.

Further methodological guidelines are provided in various publications by Eurostat (see Eurostat website > Environment > Methodology, heading: 'Material flows and resource productivity').

For more detailed information please see also 3.1.

Statistical units change according to the different data sources (e.g. agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics, production statistics, geological surveys, energy statistics, foreign trade statistics etc.) which EW-MFA are based on.

EW-MFA refers to the entire national economy of the reporting country (see also 3.3 'Coverage - sector')).

EW-MFA includes all materials (excluding water and air) crossing the system boundary (between the environment and the economy) on the input side or on the output side. The economy is demarcated by the conventions of the national accounting system (resident units).

Material inputs to the economy cover extractions of natural resources (excluding water and air) from the natural environment and imports of material products (goods) from the rest of the world economy (ROW).

Material outputs are disposals of materials to the natural environment and exports of material products and waste to the ROW. Information on natural resources extracted and traded products is provided by different statistical units.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Please see the table in 3.8.1.

Not applicable because EW-MFA are not reported as indices.

The unit of measure is a thousand tonnes.

The data refer to the calendar years.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) are legally covered by Regulation (EU) 691/2011 on European Environmental Economic Accounts.

Not applicable in the national level this information is required at the European level only.

The document „Rules on the Protection of Statistical Data in the Agency for Statistics of BiH“ lists procedures for ensuring confidentiality during collection, processing, and dissemination - which includes protocols for the protection of individual data against unauthorized access, rules for defining confidential cells in output tables and procedures for detection and prevention of subsequent disclosures as well as access to microdata for research purposes.

At the end of December each year, BHAS publishes a Release Calendar with the exact date and time of publication of statistics for the following year.

https://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar

BiH EW-MFA data are disseminated on the Agency for Statistics of BiH (www.bhas.gov.ba) in an objective, professional, and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The principle that all users have equal access to statistical data on an impartial basis is set out in Article 8, paragraph 2, point h, and Article 19 paragraph 2 of the Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Agency for Statistics of BiH implements it consistently in practice.

Data are disseminated annually.

First Releases are published on BHAS's website according to the preannounced release calendar.

First Release nationally is planned for May/June 2024.

After data validation by EUROSTAT.

A publication nationally is planned for May/June 2024, after data validation by EUROSTAT.

Not applicable

It will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Not applicable

Not applicable

It will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

The Economy-Wide Material Flow Accounts methodology is based on Eurostat manuals and regulations.

It will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Quality reports will be publicly available on the BHAS website.

Most information used is based on national statistics (e.g. production statistics, foreign trade statistics) or other administrative sources. Thus, MFA mostly has the same quality standards as the underlying (official) statistics.

National-level Material flow accounts data are used by various institutions/ministries at the level of BiH. The users of this data are also business entities - companies, media, universities, and the general public. The indicators DMC and material productivity/efficiency ratios are used in national indicator sets for sustainable development.

Not applicable.

Data are complete for all mandatory EW-MFA questionnaire tables.

It will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Most information used is based on national statistics (e.g. production statistics, foreign trade statistics, PRODCOM) or other administrative sources. Thus, MFA mostly has the same quality standards as the underlying (official) statistics.

Please use Annex 3 to assess the overall quality of the reported data. 

It is not applicable because data are not based on a sample survey.

Not applicable because data are not based on a sample survey.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Mandatory data that need to be published are ready by the end of April for T + 12 months.

On April 29, 2024, the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina forwarded data for 2018-2022 to Eurostat.
Mandatory data were submitted through the EW- MFA questionnaire in 2024 through EDAMIS.

April 29, 2024, forwarded EUROSTAT data for the period 2018-2022.

The data will be published at the national level in July 2024.

Final results will be available after the validation process.

The EW-MFA is published nationally according to the national publishing calendar and reported to Eurostat at the latest April 30 st.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data on EW-MFA are compiled according to harmonised guidelines provided by Eurostat and hence comparable across European countries reporting EW-MFA data to Eurostat.

Not applicable because physical imports and exports as recorded in EW-MFA are not specified by origin and/or destination.

Please see the table in 15.2.1.1.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Please use below table for explaining b)-flags (breaks in time series):

Data is coherent with other statistical data such as agricultural statistics (crop production), forestry statistics, foreign trade statistics and industry statistics (PRODCOM data).

Not applicable; reported EW-MFA data are only annual.

Reported data are following the EW-MFA handbook and thus coherent with the National Accounts.

The data reported are internally coherent (totals are equal to the sum of the breakdowns).

There are no costs related to the collection of data. MFA data are being processed, disseminated, and reported by 1 statistician, approximately 0.33 FTE.

The Agency for Statistics of BiH does not have an official document on revision policy.

Data revisions are carried out in the case of a change in methodology, subsequent data or calculation error that significantly impacts the calculation. The users of statistical data are informed about revision (revised data) at web site.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data sources used to produce economy-wide material flow accounts are described in the sub-concepts 18.1.1 (and Annex) and 18.1.2.

Please use Annex 1 to report the detailed data sources for questionnaire tables A, B, D, F and G.

Not applicable.

Annually.

Data are collected using nationally available data sources. No surveys.

The plausibility and consistency of the data is checked for each transmission. Validation of the data through comparisons with the previous years, checking of time series consistencies.

Data are based on administrative and statistical sources. Data are compiled according to Eurostat MFA Compilation Guide.

Not applicable.

Please use Annex 2 to describe estimation approaches for specific items.

Eurostat's correspondence table was used to assign traded goods to material categories.

Not applicable.

Not applicable, no source for this data.

Not applicable.

Not applicable; i.e. in EW-MFA no time series adjustment necessary.

Not applicable.

Table Grazed biomass v1,
Step 2: Supply estimate based on available/used grazed area and information on area yield
The data we received from the Department for Statistics in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries related to meadows and pastures for 2022 amounts to 656,096 ha, significantly less than the areas reported in previous years. We asked for and received a comment that reads: "The data for 2022 refers to research on a sample, and not to estimates as it was until 2021. All production variables related to annual crop statistics have been reduced and so has this Otherwise, with the year 2022, the time series was interrupted and the data is based on research on the sample".

Also, for 2022 the average yield taken for calculation is 2.5 [t at 15%mc/ha]. By 2021 it was 1.7 tons at 15% importance/per hectare.