Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia

Environment and Energy Statistics Section, Agricultural and Environmental Statistics Department

Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Lāčplēša iela 1, Rīga, LV-1301

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

EW-MFA include 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.

Data are presented at national level. 

Please see the table in 3.8.1.

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

The unit of measure is 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 national level this information is required at European level only.

At EU level:

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 11 March 2009, on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

At national level:

Statistics Law (in force since 4 June 2015), Section 17.

Published data should not allow identification of single consumers.

Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) does not disclose the data which by their nature might be subject to commercial confidentiality. Pursuant to the requirements of national legislation, Section 17 of the Statistics Law, Section 5 and 16 of the Freedom of Information Law, and in accordance with the item 5 of the CSB Quality Guidelines, CSB provides confidentiality and protection of information given by respondents, as well as individual information received from other sources.

25.10.2023 Doomestic extraction table

16.05.2024 Import, export tables and Indicators

CSB website: https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/calendar

Material flow accounts in Latvia are published on the CSB website under the heading Environment and Energy - Environment – Matrial flow accounts-domestc extraction; Matrial flow accounts-import and export of materials; Matrial flow accounts-indicators.

The statistics is published in accordance with the Statistics Law and the European Statistics Code of Practice, respecting the professional independence and aimed at objectivity, transparency and equal treatment of all consumers. The statistical information published by the CSB is accessible to all data users at the same time and under the same conditions.

Yearly

There is no national press release on the data.

Material flow accounts in 2022 are included in the national collection of statistics "Environment of Latvia in Figures: Climate Changes, Natural Resources and Environmental Quality in 2022" (available in English and Latvian). The collection is available on the CSB website in section Publications.

https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/environment/environmental-accounts/publications-and-infographics/15220?themeCode=VI

Data are available to all users on the CSB website database in section Environment – Environmental accounts-Matrial flow accounts-domestc extraction; Matrial flow accounts-import and export of materials; Matrial flow accounts-indicators.

https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/environment/environmental-accounts/tables/vim010-material-flow-accounts-domestic

https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/environment/environmental-accounts/tables/vim020-material-flow-accounts-import?themeCode=VI

https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/environment/environmental-accounts/tables/vim030-material-flow-accounts?themeCode=VI

https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/environment/environmental-accounts/tables/vim040-material-flow-accounts-resource?themeCode=VI

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Currently microdata are not disseminated

Currently data are not disseminated in other ways.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

 https://stat.gov.lv/en/metadata/3010-material-flow-accounts 

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

All quality documentation of Latvian official statistics and CSB is available on the CSB website in the section Documents – National Statistical System of Latvia –Quality assurance framework. The section includes, e.g., Quality Policy of CSB, Statistical Dissemination Policy, Revision Policy, Quality Policy of the National Statistical System of Latvia, Memorandum of Understanding for Implementation of Quality Policy of the NSS of Latvia.

On 29 November 2018, CSB gained ISO 9001:2015 standard certificate “Quality Management Systems – Requirements”. The certification refers to the production of official statistics – planning, data acquisition, processing, analysis, and dissemination

Overall data quality are good. 

The main user are Ministry of Environmental protection and regional development and Latvian Environment, geology and meteorology centre. 

Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia until 2030 defines the following indicator and targets:  Productivity of use of natural resources (EUR per ton of resources) -target more than 1550 in 2030.

National Development Plan 2020 defines specific targets and indicators for measuring efficiency of the use of natural resources:

Productivity of the use of natural resources (EUR per ton of resources)– target 600 in 2020.

Not applicable.

Data fully meet the requirements of the Regulation (EU) 691/2011.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Please use Annex 3 for providing an assessment of the overall quality of the reported data. 

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.

Avarage production time is 12 months.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

The legal deadline for submitting the questionnaire is the twenty fourth month after the reference period. Data covering 1995-2022 was transmitted to Eurostat on time.

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):

The accounting framework of EW-MFA is consistent with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA-CF) adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission as a world-level statistical standard in March 2012. EW-MFA are consistent with the European system of accounts (ESA) and hence suited to be combined with ESA aggregates.

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

Data are coherent with National accounts.

Data are internally consistent

0.1 FTE

If errors are found, then the data are corrected.

Availability of new source data or calculation error are the main reasons for revisions. data in table B and D were slightly changed due to updated data in foreighn trade and few calculation errors in previous years.

Figures for MF.3.8 in Table A were revised for 2019 and 2021 due to updates in Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre data.

Figures for MF.4.1.4 in Table A were revised for 2021 due to updates in Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre data.

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.

Eurostat's country RME tool was used.

Annual

Data are collected from different saources, including administrative data. Main data sources are agriculture statistics,fishery statistics, foreighn trade statistics (CSB), forestry statistics (Ministry of Agriculture), Forest service data on hunted animals, waste and water statistics (Latvian environment, geology and meteorology center), Natural resource (construction material, peat and mud) stock balance (Latvian Environment, Geology and meteorology centre). 

Comparative analysis of the reported data is made based on the data on the previous periods

See the comments below.

Not applicable.

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

Annex 4 was employed for assigning traded goods for Tables B and D.

no adjustments were used.

For years 2000-2022 we used data from energy flow accounts and air emission accounts. Energy use by residents abroad and energy use by non-residents for road transport were calculated using same methodology used for air emission accounts. Energy use of diesel and gasoline for heavy-duty vehicles by resident and non-resident units were calculated using formulas from the Manual for air emission accounts. As it is described in Manual, the statistics on goods/freight transport was used for this purpose. Energy use by residents abroad and energy use by non-residents for international aviation were calculated using data from surveys “2-bunkering; Survey on oil delivery to ships and aircrafts” and “2-EK Report on purchase and use of energy resources".  From survey “2-EK” data we gather data on total amounts of fuel used for aviation and amounts of fuel bought and used abroad. Combining data from both surveys we estimated also amounts of fuel purchased by non-residents for international air transportation. Data about fuel purchased abroad by resident's vessels for international fishing were estimated using fishery statistics, same method was used for estimation in air emission accounts.

there is no significant problems.

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

Not applicable.