INE - Statistics Portugal

Economic Statistics - Environment Statistics Unit

Avenida António José de Almeida, 5

1000-043 Lisboa

Portugal

Environmental Accounting is a statistical synthesis operation whose overall objective is the integration of environmental information into the central system of National Accounts, following the methodology of the United Nations Economic and Environmental Accounting System (SEEA), which constitutes the framework conceptual framework of the Environmental Accounting.

It comprises a set of satellite accounts prepared from accounting formats applicable to different sectoral and territorial areas, with a strong presence of physical data. The use of similar concepts, classifications, and standards that National Accounting allows to extend analysis without overloading the central system.

It is an indispensable instrument for analyzing the interrelationships between the environment and the economy in general, and in particular for assessing sustainable development through the design and construction of Sustainable Development Indicator Systems and for monitoring the actions of environmental policies at national and international level.

The Material Flow Account (MFA) shows the physical inputs of materials entering the national economic system and the results for other economies or the natural environment in physical units (tons). This account enables the collection of aggregate indicators of natural resource use, from which resource productivity (eco-efficiency) indicators relative to GDP and other economic and employment indicators, as well as indicators of material lifestyle, considering population size and other demographic indicators.

The material flow account provides data on national extraction and import and export of materials.

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
• physical imports
• physical exports
• domestic processed output
• balancing items
• direct material input
• domestic material consumption
• physical trade balance

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.

There are three material flows:

• Domestic extraction
• Imports - total trade (intra + extra EU trade)
• Exports - total trade (intra + extra EU trade)

Variables describing national extraction are classified according to the type of material extracted as input to the economy according to the material classification established by Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July of 2011, referring to Europe's environmental economic accounts in its Annex III.

Imports and exports are classified according to the same annex to the regulation, so that the variables are classified in a manner consistent with national extraction.

The main categories of this classification (1-digit: material category) would be as follows:

Domestic extraction 

• Biomass 
• Metal ores (gross ores) 
• Non-metalic minerals 
• Fossil energy materials/carriers

Imports and Exports 

• Biomass 
• Metal ores (gross ores) 
• Non-metalic minerals 
• Fossil energy materials/carriers 
• Other products 
• Waste for final treatment and disposal

The distinction between stocks and flows is a fundamental principle of a material flow system. In general, a flow is a variable that measures a quantity over a period of time, while a stock is a variable that measures a quantity at a given time.

The MFA measures the inputs, outputs and changes in material stocks in the economy, in mass units per year.

The MFA is consistent with the European System of Accounts (ESA).

Like national accounts, it follows the residence principle, so it accounts for the material flows associated with the activities of all resident units of a national economy, regardless of their geographical location.
 
Two types of material flows that cross system boundaries are relevant in MFA:

1. Material flows between the national economy and its natural environment. They consist of the extraction of materials (raw, raw or virgin) from the natural environment and the disposal of others (usually called "waste").

2. Material flows between the national economy and the economy of the rest of the world. They include imports and exports.

All flows that exceed these system limits are included in the MFA as well as the accumulations of inventories produced. Other material flows in the economy are not represented in the MFA. The national economy is dealt with globally in the MFA, and product deliveries between industries are not described. Similarly, natural flows within the natural environment are excluded.

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').

Concepts

- Unused Domestic Extraction

Unused domestic extraction consists of materials extracted or removed within the territory of a country due to technical requirements that are not suitable or not intended for any use. For example: Soil and rocks excavated during construction, dredged sediment in ports, debris from mines and quarries (if not reused), and unused harvest biomass. Eroded farmland does not move on purpose, but may be included as an optional information item.

- Domestic Extraction (used)

Domestic extraction includes the annual amount of solid, liquid and gaseous materials (excluding air and water) extracted from the natural environment to be used as inputs in the economy.

- Material flows

Material flows reflect the physical inputs of materials entering the national economic system and the results for other economies or the natural environment. Flows come in physical units (tons) and describe the extraction, transformation, consumption and final disposal of chemical elements, raw materials or products.

- Import and export of materials

Physical imports and exports comprise all imported or exported goods, in units of mass. Exchanged goods include goods at all stages of processing, from basic products to finished products.

- Direct Material Inputs (Used)

They are defined as all solid, liquid and gaseous materials (excluding water and air) that enter the economy for later use in production or consumption processes. The two main categories are raw materials extracted in the country and imports. The sum of these two categories is one of the indicators derived from the accounts, the Direct Materials Input (DMI). The export deduction of this indicator is obtained in the domestic material consumption.

- Outputs to the environment

Material flows that enter nature during and after production or consumption processes. Such outlets include emissions to air or water, waste disposal, as well as materials that cause diffuse contamination (eg fertilizers or defrosting substances). Products also include dumping of unused national extraction.

- Local economic activity unit

The local economic activity unit is understood as the part of a company that carries out a particular activity in a specific geographic location.

- Institutional Unit

An elementary center of economic decision, characterized by a uniformity of behavior and autonomy of decision in the exercise of its main function and grouped in institutional sectors. They can be, for example, a home, a company or a unit of general government.

In the case of satellite accounts, the same units are used as in National Accounts, ie those included in the European System of Accounts (ESA).

Environmental accounts combine data from several different statistical sources. The concept of statistical population cannot be rigorously applied in this context.

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.

Environmental accounts cover the entire Portuguese territory.

Material flow accounts should be consistent with national economic accounts. National Accounts define the national economy as the set of activities and operations of resident economic agents that have a center of interest in the national economic territory. Some operations of these units are performed outside the national economic territory and other transactions in this territory are performed by non-resident units. Therefore, in material flow accounts it is necessary, as in national accounts, to apply the residence principle. According to this principle, materials used by units residing outside the national territory should be considered as inputs of the national economy and materials used by units not residing in the national economic territory should be excluded from the accounting structure.

The material flow bill is prepared annually. There are information for the period 1995-2022.

In the 2016 base, currently in effect, there is information for the period 2000-2022.

Environmental accounts should be updated periodically to incorporate relevant methodological and statistical changes, especially the basic economic account changes.

Currently the reference year of the base basic economic account is 2016.

The unit of measure is thousand tonnes.

Accounting period is calendar year.

Data referring to the period: Annual 2022

The National Statistical System (NSS) includes the Statistical Council, the State body that superintends and coordinates the system; the National Statistical Institute, IP (hereinafter referred to as Statistics Portugal), the central body responsible for the production and dissemination of official statistics, that ensures the supervision and the technical and scientific coordination of the NSS; the Bank of Portugal that, as part of its mission, is responsible for the collection and compilation of monetary, financial, foreign exchange and balance of payments statistics; the Regional Services of Statistics of the Autonomous Regions of Açores and Madeira that act as delegations of the Statistics Portugal in relation to nationwide statistics as statistical authorities in what concerns regional statistics; and other entities producing official statistics by delegation of Statistics Portugal.

The activity of Statistics Portugal is ruled by the following legislation:

Law nº 22/2008, (Official Journal (OJ) no 92 1st Series, of 13th May 2008) - Law of the National Statistical System: It defines the general basis of the National Statistical System.

Abstract:

Statistics Portugal, Bank of Portugal, Regional Services of Statistics of the Autonomous Regions of Açores and Madeira and entities producing official statistics by delegation of Statistics Portugal are considered statistical authorities, having responsibility for the production of official statistics, and empowered to require (mandatory and gratuitously) to all departments or agencies, individuals and legal entities, information necessary for the production of official statistics.

The official statistics are produced with technical independence and considered as public good, observing the national and international quality standards, and meeting the users' needs in an efficient manner, preventing the providers of information to the statistical authorities from an excessive burden, by using increasingly the administrative data.

All personal data collected by the statistical authorities for statistical purposes, are considered confidential, and legally protected All people connected with the production of official statistics are obliged to professional secrecy. To break confidentiality is considered a very serious administrative offence that implies criminal responsibility.

Miss or delay response to surveys from statistical authorities is considered a serious administrative offence, submitted to financial punishment.

Decree-Law nº 136/2012, (OJ no 126 1st Series, of 2nd July 2012)

It defines the organic structure of Statistics Portugal.

Abstract:

Statistics Portugal is a public institute with a special regime integrating the indirect State administration, endowed with administrative autonomy. Its mission is to produce and disseminate, in an effective, efficient and independent manner, high-quality official statistical information relevant for society as a whole.

In the exercise of official statistical activities, Statistics Portugal enjoys technical independence and may, in its capacity as national statistical authority, require information to be reported, which shall be mandatory and free of charge, safeguarding respect for statistical confidentiality, according the National Statistical System Law.

Portaria nº 423/2012, (D.R. nº 251 – 1ª Série, de 2012-12-28), amended by Portaria nº 120/2014 (D.R. nº 110 – 1ª Série, de 2014-06-09) and by Portaria nº 68/2019, de 25 de fevereiro (DR nº 39 - 1ª Série, de 2019-02-25) – Approval of the Statutory Laws of Statistics Portugal, defining its internal organization.

Abstract:

The structure of Statistics Portugal is organized in three hierarchical levels: departments, units and sections. This executive order also defines the competences and areas of intervention of 1st level as well as the possibility of creating two project teams with multidisciplinary and transversal nature to the different areas of activity. The data protection officer of Statistics Portugal is also responsible for the coordination of matters concerning personal data.

Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC General Data Protection Regulation).

Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).

Abstract:

This Regulation lays down rules relating to the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and rules relating to the free movement of personal data.

Law nº 58/2019 of 8th August – law on personal data protection

Abstract:

Law nº 58/2019 ensures the implementation, in the national legal order, of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to processing of personal data and the free movement of such data.

Regulation (EU) 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 on environmental economic accounts in Europe constitutes the framework for common accounting concepts, definitions, classifications and standards for the preparation of environmental accounts. Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) are legally covered by this Regulation.

Decree-Law nº 126-A/2011 (OJ no 249 1st Series, of 29th December 2011)

Abstract:

In the framework of the organizational structure of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Statistics Portugal falls within the scope of indirect government of the State. Its main tasks are:

• To produce official statistical information, with the purpose of supporting decisions of a public, private, individual or collective nature, as well as scientific research;
• To prepare the Portuguese National Accounts, in coordination with the other competent authorities;
• To disseminate in an accessible manner the statistical information produced;
• To coordinate and perform the technical-scientific and methodological supervision of official statistics under its responsibility, the delegated entities and the Regional Statistical Services of the Autonomous Regions;
• To cooperate with national entities and with entities of other European Union Member States and international organizations in the statistical area.

Statistics Portugal's Statistical Confidentiality Policy stems from the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Law No. 22/2008 of 13 May, which establishes the principles, rules and structure of the National Statistical System (SEN), and in particular the Principle of the Statistical Secret. (Article 6) of Regulation (EC) 223/2009 of 11 March (Article 20 et seq.), as amended by Regulation 2015/759 of 29 April establishing the legal framework for development, production and dissemination European Statistics and Regulation (EU) 557/2013 of 17 June concerning access to confidential data for scientific purposes.

It is also governed by the principles agreed between EU Member States and contained in the European Statistics Code of Conduct (2nd revision / 2017), namely Principle 5 on Statistical Confidentiality and, more broadly, by the Fundamental Principles of Statistics Officers, established by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 1994 and approved by the United Nations General Assembly in January 2014 (principle 6).

With regard to the processing of personal data the exercise of statistical activity also complies with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 April laying down the rules on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. and the free movement of such data and other applicable legislation.

Statistical Confidentiality

Statistical production is a process through which from information gathered (censual or sampling) from institutions or departments, individuals or collectives we produce statistics that represent an important tool for analyzing and taking decisions for the whole Society.

It is recognized that the whole decision process, in its several levels — political, economic and social —, whether individual or collective, is supported on information, including statistical information, which must be accurate, exempt and up-to-date.

However, the knowledge provided by the statistics is inseparable from the respect for confidentiality associated to information collected near Information providers, and leads to the inevitable legal appeal of "considerations of proportionality", which means that production of statistics has necessarily to operate the practical concordance and the harmonization between the information that should be of public domain and the one that should be kept under secrecy. Only in this way it can be ensured confidence in the Statistical System.

Thus, the following publication (available only in Portuguese), was prepared: Policy of Statistical Confidentiality

Statistics Portugal adopts the logical, physical and administrative measures necessary for the protection of confidential data to be effective, from data collection to its publication.

Survey questionnaires include a legal clause that informs about the protection that protects the collected data.

In the information processing phases, data that allow direct identification is kept only as long as strictly necessary to ensure the quality of the processes.

Publishing result tables analyzes the details of the information to prevent sensitive data from being deduced from statistical units. Where microdata files are disseminated, they are always anonymized.

Environmental Accounts are a statistical operation included in the National Statistical Plan, therefore subject to the Law no 22/2008, of May 13th, 2008, that defines the general basis of the National Statistical System. and, therefore, their data are protected by the Statistical Secret, at all stages of their preparation process.

Dissemination policy

Statistical data are a key asset in today society, and an essential tool in supporting the most relevant decision-making processes, both at the public and private level, and in carrying out analyses and research.

Statistical data are therefore of great interest to public and private decision-makers, politicians, economic agents, analysts and researchers, paving the way for all individuals to gain more awareness of their citizenship.

Data dissemination, which is a key stage of statistical activity, is instrumental in implementing and highlighting strict compliance with the mission of statistical authorities.

The Dissemination policy of Statistics Portugal lays down the fundamental principles governing the dissemination of official statistics, directly or indirectly produced under its responsibility. It should have as main reference the applicable principles of the National Statistical System: technical independence, statistical confidentiality, quality and accessibility.

In accordance with provision 15, Chapter B of the Dissemination Policy, prior access, under embargo, to official statistical data is granted (at around 9 am of the release day) to the Directors of Madeira and Azores Regional Statistics Offices, when data allow for NUTS 2 breakdown.

Early calendar publishing is performed in the last quarter of each year and shows the exact dates of press releases and publications.

The publication calendar is published on the Statistics Portugal website (publication calendar).

Data are simultaneously released, according to the publication schedule, to all stakeholders, in most cases accompanied by a press release. At the same time, the data are published on Statistics Portugal website (https://www.ine.pt). Custom requests are also sent to registered users. Some users may receive information under embargo as specified in the European Statistics Code of Practice.The release policy determines the dissemination of statistical data to all users at the same time. The scope of dissemination is public. Users are informed that data is being released through a press release.

The frequency of data dissemination is annual.

Wide and easy access to official statistical data is a standing priority of Statistics Portugal, as well as the commitment to quality improvement of the service provided. In this vein, access to statistical data is made available using modern information and communication technology in order to meet user needs and permitting easy access to information.

A press release was available on the Statistics Portugal website on 19 December 2023.

Data and text in Environmental Statistics (digital publication).

The data was available on the Statistics Portugal website on 19 December 2023.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Many statistical operations disclose anonymized files for public use, available for free download from the Statistics Portugal website.

Due to the nature of Environmental Accounting, microdata is not available.

Information is available in EXCEL and CSV files.

The policy of attention to personalized requests is to analyze if confidentiality and statistical significance conditions are met. After this analysis, a feasibility report is prepared and sent to the petitioner.

In 2023 the Press Release had 154 hits, 103 in the Portuguese version and 51 hits in the English version.

Methodological documentation of the project (held in August 2016) is available on the Statistics Portugal website under Methodological Notes on the Material Flow Account.

The manuals prepared by EUROSTAT can also be found on the Statistics Portugal website.

We do not provide quality reports.

Statistics Portugal is part of the European Statistical System and has adopted the European Statistics Code of Practice, since its first edition (2005), as firm guidance for the success of its mission. Since its last revision (November 2017), the Code comprises the Quality Declaration of the European Statistical System, 16 Principles and 84 indicators of best practices and standards for each of the Principles, defining the European benchmarks for the statistical activity, covering the institutional environment, statistical processes, and statistical outputs.

Statistics Portugal (SP) is the main authority for the production and dissemination of official statistics in Portugal and its work is steered by the underlying principles of its mission, vision, and values, which are quality-oriented and known to the public. In what concerns its legal framework, quality in statistics is defined by the Portuguese Statistical System Law, article 7 (Law no. 22/2008) and the Regulation (EC) nº 223/2009, (amended by the European Regulation 2015/759), at national and European levels, respectively.

SP is part of the European Statistical System (ESS) and has adopted the European Statistics Code of Practice, since its first edition (2005), as firm guidance for the success of its mission. Since its last revision (November 2017), the Code comprises the Quality Declaration of the European Statistical System, 16 Principles and 84 indicators of best practices and standards for each of the Principles, defining the European benchmarks for the statistical activity, covering the institutional environment, statistical processes, and statistical outputs. Although all 16 principles are essential, it is important to highlight the Principle 4: Commitment to Quality:

Principle 4: Commitment to Quality

Statistical authorities are committed to quality. They systematically and regularly identify strengths and weaknesses to continuously improve process and output quality.

The Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) is a useful tool in implementing the Code of Practice in the member states, recommending possible actions at the institutional and process level for each of the Code’s indicators.

In the framework of its mission and in line with the Code of Practice, SP follows reliable and robust methodologies and adequate procedures, according to the best international practices. It also maintains and makes public an extensive set of documentation on concepts and classifications, included on its Metadata System, as an important and constant groundwork for its activity. Moreover, SP produces and disseminates statistics in an impartial, objective and transparent manner and treats all users equally, in agreement with its Dissemination Policy. All these aspects have a positive impact on the credibility of the produced statistics and the perceived quality and trust of the institution as a whole.

SP’s quality commitment is clearly and publicly stated and is an essential aspect in conveying the trustworthiness of Portuguese official statistics. This standard is the cornerstone of its customer and information provider’s relationship management. SP’s users and partners recognize the quality of statistics, of services and products, of staff’s excellence and of the overall image of the institution, past and present. With this goal in mind, SP’s latest version of its Quality Chart, released in 2019, establishes SP’s public commitment towards the following stakeholders and areas:

•Information security

•Relation with respondents;

•Relation with statistical information users;

•Revisions policy;

•Data dissemination practices;

•Availability of statistical products and other products;

•Tailor-made responses to specific user requests and general user support;

•Welcoming procedures for visitors to SP’s premises;

•Management of users’ suggestions and complaints;

•Users’ satisfaction and evaluation activities;

•Management of Human Resources;

•Cooperation with external entities.

The General Guidelines of Official Statistical Activity 2018-2022, constitute an important framework for the strategic objectives of the National Statistical System (NSS) and the relevant actions for the Statistical Authorities. Quality-related aspects are prominent in this particular document.

 The quality management system implemented by SP follows the principles of the ISO 9001:2015 Standard, whenever convenient, having adopted a systematic and process-oriented approach under the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. This system comprises a wide range of instruments, methods, and activities covering process documentation, performance assessment, and user relations, as follows:

 •Internal and external audits, highlighting the two rounds of Peer Review (2008 and 2015) in what external audits are concerned;

•Performance indicators and management tools, drawing attention to QUAR (in the context of the Public Administration performance assessment and management system – SIADAP) and a specific set of quality monitoring criteria;

•User and respondent satisfaction questionnaires, towards the different services provided (in compliance with the ISO 10004:2012 Standard);

•Suggestions and complaints management system (observing the ISO 10002:2014 Standard);

•Documentation system (E.g. methodological documentation, internal procedures, statistical activity´s quality reports). In the context of the latter, SP reports directly to EUROSTAT, meeting the requirements of the European Standard – ESS Handbook for Quality reports (2014). These reports are available for each survey and can be accessed on EUROSTAT’s website by statistical domain.

The Commission (Eurostat) will assess the quality of the data transmitted and, within one month of receiving the data, may request additional information on the data or a revised data set from the Member State as appropriate (Art.7.4 of Regulation 691/2011).

Estimates of the material flow account are based on Eurostat's projected methodology, using national account principles, rules and classifications, thus ensuring their internal consistency and with other environmental account modules as well as comparability with national account aggregates.

Regarding the progress and provisional estimates of the 1995-2019 series based on 2016, they will be updated in future editions.

Environmental accounts allow us to look at the pressure that the economy exerts on the environment and to study how to reduce it. They show the interactions between the economy, households and environmental factors and thus offer a greater degree of information than national accounts in this area.

As a fundamental source of environmental data, they are essential for environmental policy decisions and the development of impact assessments, nationally and internationally. In accordance with the principles of sustainable development included in the Europe 2020 strategy and other initiatives, as well as progress towards a resource-efficient and low-emission economy, it is increasingly necessary to develop and implement a framework structure. systematically include environmental issues along with economic issues. Moreover, as they constitute a synthesis statistic in the environmental field, they allow to identify gaps and improvements in the Portuguese statistical system.

Among the users of environmental accounts, it is worth mentioning:

• Ministries and other public bodies (observatories, etc.)

• Regional Administrations

• Researchers and academic institutions

• Companies and non-profit institutions (business study services, foundations, associations, etc.), unions and employers' organizations.

• Press and specialized media

There are also institutional foreign users (Eurostat, OECD, United Nations, etc.).

We do not regularly collect user reviews on this topic.

In the Material Flow Account, Statistics Portugal complies with the reporting requirements of Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 on European environmental economic accounts. You can tell that they are exhausting.

The required mandatory statistical result rate is 100%.

Environmental accounts are a summary statistic; therefore, the sampling errors that affect them are from the sources from which the information is collected, which are analyzed to ensure that they are kept within reasonable limits. Non-sampling errors can come from the sources and handling of information in this operation (lack of coverage, measurement errors).

Direct measurement of accuracy in this case is not considered possible.

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

Environmental accounts are a summary statistic; therefore, the sampling errors that affect them are from the sources from which the information is collected, which are analyzed to see if they are kept within reasonable limits.

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

The environmental accounts are a summary statistic, so the non-sampling errors can come from both the sources and the treatment of the information in this operation (lack of coverage, measurement errors). The main instrument to analyze the accuracy is the analysis of the reviews. The reviews show the degree of proximity between successive estimators of the same value, and it is reasonable to assume that the estimators converge to the true value when based on better and more reliable data.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

With respect to the release of official statistics, the Dissemination Policy of Statistics Portugal establishes that “Statistics Portugal makes official statistics available under the terms of international and national, legal and ethical framework governing the production of official statistics.”.

The Dissemination Policy of Statistics Portugal also makes explicit reference to the European Statistics Code of Practice indicators regarding statistical releases, in particular, Principle 6 (Impartiality and objectivity), Principle 13 (Timeliness and punctuality) and to some extent Principle 15 (Accessibility and clarity).

The data was available on the Statistics Portugal website on 19 December 2023.

The estimates of the Material Flow Account are sent to EUROSTAT, at most, within 16 months after the end of the reference year, in compliance with EU Regulation 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts, in which regulates the periods for data transmission.

The indicator of the time elapsed between the end of the reference period and the dissemination in Statistics Portugal is 12 months.

The results of the environmental accounts are published promptly according to the Statistics Portugal structural statistics publication schedule.

Data was transmitted to Eurostat on 19.04.2024.

Aware that one of Eurostat's objectives, when designing the 2024 edition of the Economy-wide material flow accounts Handbook, was to alleviate the conceptual differences in the measurements used and consequently to harmonize the results obtained by the Member States, Statistics Portugal tries to apply its indications as strictly as possible. 

EU member countries use the same methodology in preparing estimates, which makes it possible to compare estimates of material flow accounts between them.

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

The basic methodology for preparing estimates has not changed much since the first estimates of material flow accounts as a pilot study. However, in addition to the need to adapt the new accounting series to the new National Accounting 2016 base, adjustments have been made to the air emissions and extractive industry data series.

As described in the point 6 of the 2019 Quality report (3 - Annexes).

Please see the table in 15.2.1.1. for reporting an assessment of comparability over time.

The number of comparable time series elements since their last interval is 27.

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

Environmental accounts are consistent with national accounts.

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

The EW-MFA is consistent with the main aggregates derived from the European System of Accounts (ESA). The EW-MFA follows the residency principle.

The annual results of the material flow accounts are consistent with each other and with respect to the available annual series.

No data revisions are planned.

Statistical data are a key asset in today’s society, and an essential tool in supporting the most relevant decision-making processes, both at the public and private level, and in carrying out analyses and research.

Statistical data are therefore of interest to public and decision-makers, policy-makers, economic agents, analysts and researchers, paving the way for all individuals to gain more awareness of their citizenship.

Statistical data is only truly useful if it is credible and of high quality particularly as regards accuracy and timeliness.

In order to ensure quality dimensions, statistical producers are required to establish a commitment between rigor and swiftness as regards data released.

This commitment often gives rise to the need to conduct data revisions.

The need for revisions may also stem from the introduction of methodological improvements or the updating of statistical standards often decided on at international level.

Transparency, which must underlie the production and dissemination of official statistics, thus requires a detailed clarification of the Revisions policy.

Statistics Portugal has a policy that regulates the basic aspects of the revision of statistical data, ensuring the transparency of processes and the quality of products.

The document on the revisions policy set out by Statistics Portugal, hereby presented, seeks to clarify the key factors of a revision, the typology of revision that may occur and the dimensions governing a revision’s analysis. It also explains the General and Operational Principles of the revisions policy that Statistics Portugal will consolidate in the future.

This policy is described in the document approved by the Board of Directors in 2008. The document is available in "Revisions policy”.

This general policy defines the criteria that must be followed for different types of reviews: routine - for statistics that, by their nature, are reviewed regularly; major revisions due to methodological changes or basic sources of statistical reference; and extraordinary revisions (due to an error in the statistics already published).

Environmental Accounts data is revised in a manner consistent with the annual National Accounting data review scheme.

Regulation (EU) 691/2011 provides that for each annual data transmission years n-4, n-3, n-2, n-1 and n are provided, where n is the reference year.

1. Figures for MF.1.3.1 in Table A were revised for the period 2020-2021

The results for 2020-2021 in Table A have been revised as a result of the changes observed in the data sources for those years, particularly for coniferous wood for sawmills.

2. Most of the figures in Table A were revised for 2021

The results for 2020 in Table A have been revised as a result of the corrections observed in the data from the information sources for that year.

3. Figures for residence principle adjustment in Table B and D were revised for the entire period

This revision did not result from any methodological change. These numbers are calculated based on the Air Emissions Accounts. Their revision results from the revision of the UNFCCC Inventory series data and the transition of the NA reference year from 1995 to 2021.

4. Figures for MF.8.1.1, MF.8.1.2, MF.8.2.2.2 and MF.8.2.3 in Table G were revised for the period 1995-2021

This revision did not result from any methodological change. These numbers are calculated based on the Air Emissions Accounts. Their revision results from the revision of the UNFCCC Inventory series data.

5. Figures for MF.8.2.1.1 and MF.8.2.1.2 in Table G were revised for the period 2000-2021

The values differ from those of previous editions because for their calculation we started to apply the Table G Estimation Tool provided by Eurostat in the EW-MFA Questionnaire and there are some small differences in some of the coefficients used.

Factors that drive revisions in MFA estimates are basically changes:

- in Annual National Accounts data;

- in data on air emissions (for greenhouse gases - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC; and for other air pollutants - Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, CLRTAP are reviewed annually by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), recalculations and methodological improvements for the whole series since 1995);

- induced by improved estimation procedures.

The first time data for a reference year t is published at t + 12 months, material flow account data are advanced and provisional in successive years until definitive data is found at 1 year and 4 months ( t + 16) after the end of the corresponding reference year.

The practical way to proceed is to publish the data indicating its definitive or provisional nature. Each annual estimate is reviewed for until it is no longer considered provisional and becomes definitive.

As a summary statistic, Environmental Accounting integrates and reconciles a large number of sources of economic and environmental information.

Data sources used to produce economy-wide material flow accounts are described in Annex 1 of Quality report template EW-MFA_2019 (in 3 - Annexes).

For the material flow account, the following statistical information is used:

- National Accounts

- Foreign Trade Statistics.

- Statistics from different Ministries (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment and Climate Action):

- Agricultural Statistics

- Fishery Statistics

- Forest Statistics

- Mines and Quarries Statistics

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

We use Eurostat's Raw Material Equivalents by Country (RME) tool to estimate the raw material equivalents of product flows. The data input is provided by Eurostat in an Excel dataset.

Data collection frequency is annual.

Data collection techniques may vary by source type, data availability date, etc..

In general, data is sent to the Unit for Satellite Accounts and Quality Assessment of the National Accounts by the different Statistics Portugal units that produce them, although sometimes the information can be obtained directly from the corresponding database.

Basic information, derived from different statistics, is subject to a series of treatments: identification of outliers, debugging errors, adaptation to the terms of the Environmental and National Accounts.

The data compilation process used follows the guidelines in Eurostat's Economy-wide material flow accounts Handbook 2018.

The elaboration process can be structured in several phases:

1. Basic Information Update: Data Collection Available

2. Treatment of basic information: performs a series of treatments, consisting of identifying outliers, debugging errors and adapting to the terms of the Environmental Accounts.

3. Preparation of the general structure file. With the new information available, the working file is completed to the level of breakdown required by the European Accounts Regulation. For each type of material, and for the purpose of obtaining more accurate estimates, auxiliary files are used to work with the highest possible degree of disaggregation of the different identifiable components.

4. Process of analysis and revision of estimates. Time series of results are analyzed for each product and operation to detect possible inconsistencies.

5. Preparation of final results files in the different formats required: format for submission to EUROSTAT and files for dissemination in the Statistics Portugal Portal (Results, Methodology, Press release).

Not applicable.

No accurate direct source is available for grazed biomass domestic extraction. Therefore some estimation methods are used, based on the average animal consumption, using data from animal statistics.

For MF.1.2.2.2.2 Pasture biomass, the data are obtained by calculating pasture by animal capitation method. Using the fodder balances (feed rations) as a data source, specific feed intake capacity coefficients are calculated per head of cattle (dairy, beef and veal), sheep and goats, and horses, which are then multiplied by the number of heads (the data source is animal production statistics).

For the calculation of bacterial respiration, considering that the UNFCCC Report does not provide exclusive CO2 data, we used the UNFCCC GHG CO2 equivalent emissions.

We use the Eurostat correspondence table provided with the EW-MFA questionnaire to assign traded goods to material categories.

We don’t use conversion factors to convert traded goods into tonnes.

As described in the point 6 of the 2019 Quality report.

Some problems can be found when adapting basic statistics to MFA concepts. The main problems concern, mainly, unit conversion, estimates for “non-observed” activity, i.e., part of economic activities not covered by statistical sources (e.g. fisheries and mining), adjustments for resident principle and waste international trade flow (incoherence between sources of information).

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

No seasonal adjustments are made.

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