Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT)

Energy & Environment Statistics Section

Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environmental Statistics Division

46 Pireos St. & Eponiton St. 185 10, Piraeus, Greece

Air Emissions Accounts (AEA) record flows of gaseous and particulate materials emitted into the atmosphere because of economic activity.

AEA are a subset of environmental-economic accounts. They offer a detailed breakdown for 64 emitting economic activities (NACE), plus households, as defined in the national accounts of EU countries. They are aligned with economic statistics and GDP. These features make them suitable for integrated environmental-economic analyses and modelling – for example of “carbon footprints and climate-change modelling scenarios.

National Statistical Institutes (NSI) submit Air Emission Accounts to Eurostat through a mandatory annual data collection. The data collection includes an electronic questionnaire and this quality report.

The AEA dataset has the following dimensions:

1) Air pollutant: Emissions to air of the following gaseous and particulate substances are collected (greenhouse gases, air pollutants):

Carbon dioxide without emissions from biomass (CO₂),

Carbon dioxide from biomass (Biomass CO₂),

Nitrous oxide (N₂O), Methane (CH₄),

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs),

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) including nitrogen trifluoride (NF3),

Nitrogen oxides (NO_x),

Non-methane volatile organic compounds, (NMVOC),

Carbon monoxide (CO),

Particulate matter < 10μm (PM10),

Particulate matter < 2,5μm (PM2.5),

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂),

Ammonia (NH₃)

2) Geopolitical entity: Greece, National Economy

3) Economic activities: 64 production activities (NACE rev.2 A*64 classification), and households’ consumption (3 sub-categories).

4) Time: Reference year for which air emissions are reported.

5) Unit: tonnes (Mg) and thousand tonnes (Gg)

The data refer to national economies as defined in the system of national accounts. Greenhouse gases and air pollutants emitted by resident units representing the national economy are covered.

Conceptually AEA belong to the international system of environmental economic accounting (SEEA-Central Framework). Furthermore, AEA 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.

AEA are closely related to concepts and definitions of national accounts. Further methodological guidelines are provided in various publications by Eurostat (see Eurostat website > Environment > Methodology, heading: ”Air emissions accounts”).

Data refer to emissions by resident economic units in the sense of SEEA CF 2012 and National Accounts (ESA), including households.

The national economy is as defined in SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA); i.e. all economic activities undertaken by resident units (see ESA 2010, paragraph 2.04). A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of economic interest in the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (1 year or more) in economic activities in that territory.

The reference area is the economic territory as defined in SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA).

Period 2008 - 2021.

Not applicable because AEA are not reported as indices.

The unit of measure is tonnes (Mg) or thousand tonnes (Gg). In particular

- CO₂ is measured in thousand tonnes (Gg)

- N₂O and CH₄ are measured in tonnes (Mg)

- F-gases (HFC, PFC, SF₆ and NF₃) are reported in tonnes (Mg) of CO₂ equivalents

- SO_x are reported in tonnes of SO₂ equivalents, and NO_x are reported in tonnes of NO₂ equivalent

- NMVOCs, CO, NH₃, PM10 and PM2.5 particles are measured in tonnes (Mg)

- Total GHG are reported in thousand tonnes (Gg) of CO₂ equivalents

The data refer to the calendar years. Last reported reference year is 2021.

At National level:

The legal framework concerning the organization and operation of ELSTAT is available at the following link:

https://www.statistics.gr/en/legal-framework

At European level:

Air emissions accounts (AEA) are legally covered by Regulation (EU) 691/2011 on European Environmental Economic Accounts.

Not applicable at national level.

The issues concerning the observance of statistical confidentiality by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) are arranged by articles 7, 8 and 9 of the Law 3832/2010 as in force, by Articles 8, 10 and 11(2) of the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System and by Articles 10 and 15 of the Regulation on the Operation and Administration of ELSTAT.

Furthermore, ELSTAT disseminates the statistics in compliance with the statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice and in particular with the principle of statistical confidentiality.

https://www.statistics.gr/en/statistical-confidentiality

ELSTAT protects and does not disseminate data it has obtained or it has access to, which enable the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units that have provided them by the disclosure of individual information directly received for statistical purposes or indirectly supplied from administrative or other sources. ELSTAT takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means that might reasonably be used by a third party. Statistical data that could potentially enable the identification of the statistical unit are disseminated by ELSTAT if and only if:

a) these data have been treated, as it is specifically set out in the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System (ELSS), in such a way that their dissemination does not prejudice statistical confidentiality or

b) the statistical unit has given its consent, without any reservations, for the disclosure of data.

The confidential data that are transmitted by ELSS agencies to ELSTAT are used exclusively for statistical purposes and the only persons who have the right to have access to these data are the personnel engaged in this task and appointed by an act of the President of ELSTAT.

ELSTAT may grant researchers conducting statistical analyses for scientific purposes access to data that enable the indirect identification of the statistical units concerned. The access is granted provided the following conditions are satisfied:

a) an appropriate request together with a detailed research proposal in conformity with current scientific standards have been submitted

b) the research proposal indicates in sufficient detail the set of data to be accessed, the methods of analyzing them, and the time needed for the research

c) a contract specifying the conditions for access, the obligations of the researchers, the measures for respecting the confidentiality of statistical data and the sanctions in case of breach of these obligations has been signed by the individual researcher, by his/her institution, or by the organization commissioning the research, as the case may be, and by ELSTAT.

Issues referring to the observance of statistical confidentiality are examined by the Statistical Confidentiality Committee (SCC) operating in ELSTAT. The responsibilities of this Committee are to make recommendations to the President of ELSTAT on:

- the level of detail at which statistical data can be disseminated, so as the identification, either directly or indirectly, of the surveyed statistical unit is not possible

- the anonymization criteria for the microdata provided to users

- the granting to researchers to access confidential data for scientific purposes.

The staff of ELSTAT, under any employment status, as well as the temporary survey workers who are employed for the collection of statistical data in statistical surveys conducted by ELSTAT, who acquire access by any means to confidential data, are bound by the principle of confidentiality and must use these data exclusively for the statistical purposes of ELSTAT. After the termination of their term of office, they are not allowed to use these data for any purpose.

Violation of data confidentiality and/or statistical confidentiality by any civil servant or employee of ELSTAT constitutes the disciplinary offence of violation of duty and may be punished with the penalty of final dismissal.

ELSTAT, by its decision, may impose a penalty amounting from ten thousand (10,000) up to two hundred thousand (200,000) euros to anyone who violates the confidentiality of data and/or statistical confidentiality. The penalty is always imposed after the hearing of the defense of the person liable for the breach, depending on the gravity and the repercussions of the violation. Any relapse constitutes an aggravating factor for the assessment of the administrative sanction.

AEA are disseminated through a press release. A pre-announced release calendar is available on Elstat's website.

The release calendar is available on Elstat's website (https://www.statistics.gr/en/calendar).

In compliance with Community legislation and the European Statistics Code of Practice, ELSTAT releases all national statistical data on its webpage, fully observing professional independence and with a view to ensuring the simultaneous, equal, and timely access of all users to statistical data.

Neither users nor any government bodies have access to data before their official release.

Data are disseminated annually.

Press release is published for Air Emissions Accounts. 

Release dates are available on the press release calendar (https://www.statistics.gr/en/calendar)

Air Emission Accounts are published nationally with a press release and related data files.

AEA data are available at ELSTAT's website (https://www.statistics.gr/en/statistics/-/publication/SOP08/-)

AEA data are disseminated with data files at ELSTAT's website (https://www.statistics.gr/en/statistics/-/publication/SOP08/-)

This information is not currently available.

Not applicable.

Data can be provided to users (provided that restrictions on statistical confidentiality are fully met) usually by e-mail, by submitting a relevant data request. Users have to submit their request, describing in detail the requested data, to the Division of Statistical Information and Publications. The requests must be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: data.dissem@statistics.gr.

This information is not currently available.

No additional methodolodgical document is currently disseminated.

Metadata completeness is 100%.

There is not currently additional documentation on quality management practices.

Primary data for the compilation of Air Emissions Accounts derive from the annual national emission inventories as provided from the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Greece. Data collection and estimation methods in emission inventories are subject to the control of the UN, on a yearly basis. This control validates and ensures, at a satisfactory level, the quality of data.

Air Emissions Accounts are also validated by Eurostat on a yearly basis.

The quality of data is considered satisfactory.

Data on air emissions accounts by NACE Rev.2 industry are relevant to users’ needs.

Data on environmental accounts and air emissions are an important source of information for national and international organizations, government agencies, research institutes and enterprises.

The Statistical Information Dissemination Section of ELSTAT conducts a survey on user satisfaction, the results of which are available at the link:

https://www.statistics.gr/en/user-satisfaction-survey

The requirements of the Regulation 691/2011 are fully met.

Rate of data completeness is 100%.

Primary data on air emissions derive from the national inventories on greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollutants as provided by the Ministry of Environment and Energy. The estimation methods and data used for the compilation of emission inventories are validated by the UN – UNFCCC (United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change) and by the European Environmental Agency (Convention on Long-range Trans-boundary Air Pollution). Overall accuracy relies, to a great extent, on the quality and completeness of the aforementioned validated data on emission inventories.

Additionally, AEA final data are thoroughly validated by Eurostat including analytical checks on data coherence, extreme values, annual rates, revisions, e.t.c

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.

The data are submitted to Eurostat 21 months after the end of the reference year.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

AEA are transmitted within the deadlines set out by the European Regulation.

The data are submitted to Eurostat 21 months after the end of the reference year.

AEA are compiled according to harmonised guidelines provided by Eurostat and hence are comparable across European countries that report AEA to Eurostat.

Not applicable.

Data are comparable from 2008, when the NACE Rev.2 classification for economic activities was implemented.

Not applicable.

Coherence is mainly established with Air Emission Inventories of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants under UNFCCC and CRLTAP conventions.

Not applicable, because AEA data are compiled only on annual basis.

AEA and NA are coherent to the extent that NA data are used as auxiliary data for the distribution to certain NACE Rev.2 industries.

Internal coherence across NACE Rev.2 industries is established with the use of applicable methods and data sources as described in the "Manual for air emissions accounts" (Eurostat, 2015 edition).

Primary data sources are derived either by other government bodies (Ministry of Environment and Energy) or ELSTAT, therefore there is no burden for ELSTAT in terms of data collection. Full time equivalents (FTE) for this data transmission are estimated approximately at 0.3.

According to the model used by the inventory compilation team, when estimating the values of air emissions of the reference year, data of previous years are accordingly revised. Therefore, each year, data are revised backwards, causing subsequent revisions for the whole reporting period of AEA, starting from 2008. The structure of this model is based on the principles of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Distribution amongst certain industries in Manufacturing and Services sectors are revised due to National Accounts revision of the SUT data for the period 2019-2020. NA data have been revised (base year and data revision) from year 2019 (https://www.statistics.gr/en/statistics/-/publication/SEL15/2021).

In present transmission, revision of reported data is also due to the following adjustments:

- Bridging items for air transport have been estimated for the period 2008-2012 using the extrapolation method due to the lack of relevant data in OECD's CO2 emissions database. This is applicable to all GHG and air pollutants with relevant emissions.

- H50 (Water transport), H51 (Air transport) and L68A (Imputed rents of owner-occupied dwellings) have been excluded from the allocation of light duty vehicles (LDVs) emissions to NACE Rev.2 sections. This change is applicable to all reporting years i.e. 2008-2021 and all GHG and air pollutants.

- N2O, 2008-2021: CRF source category 2.G.3 (N2O from product uses) has been assigned to NACE Rev.2 sections C10-12 and Q86 according to Greece's NIR 2023 (page 278).

- CO2, 2008-2021: CRF source category 2.G.4 (Other use of solvents and related activities) has been assigned to NACE Rev.2 sections C18, C20 and C21 according to Greece's NIR 2023 (page 281).

Air Emission Accounts follow the revision processes of Air Emission Inventories.

Average size of Air Emission Inventories revisions is not yet calculated. 

The main data source used for the compilation of Air Emissions Accounts is the Annual Inventory Submission Report of Greece provided by the Ministry of Environment and Energy. This Report is under the convention of the Kyoto protocol for the emissions of Greenhouse Gases and other Air Pollutants.

Data of the above report is the official data on the air pollution in Greece and is transmitted annually to the UNFCCC and to the CLRTAP.

For the distribution across multiple industries, services sectors, and households, auxiliary data from national accounts are used. These data refer mainly to the economic variable “intermediate consumption at purchasers’ prices” as provided from the Supply and Use Tables (SUT) of the National Accounts division.

The frequency of data collection for Air Emissions Accounts is annual.

Data Collection involves the following data sources:

1) Annual National Inventories of air emissions. These reports are submitted annually to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). Data files are collected from the respective convention web sites that publish them. For each annual submission of inventories, published data for the reference year also includes revisions of previous years.

2) Economic variables collected from the National Accounts division of ELSTAT. These variables are used for air emissions reported into the inventories that cannot be attributed to a single NACE Rev.2 economic activity.

Air Emission Inventories are validated by the relevant conventions that collect the data:
- the UN–UNFCCC (United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change)
- the European Environmental Agency (Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution)

Air Emission Accounts by NACE Rev.2 Economic Activities, are also validated by Eurostat.

Air Emissions by NACE Rev.2 sectors are compiled as follows:

1) The primary data source of annual national emission inventories derived from the Ministry of Environment and Energy provides emission data for certain economic activities e.g., energy industries, manufacturing industries, agriculture, and construction.

2) Correspondence between Air Emissions Inventories and NACE Rev.2 classification is implemented with the use of respective Eurostat Correspondence Tables and Methodology (Annex I Correspondence between CRF/NFR - NACE Rev. 2 to Manual for Air Emissions Accounts).

3) The air emissions are duly allocated to corresponding NACE Rev.2 economic activities with the use of appropriate auxiliary data. These data are compiled on the basis of National Accounts (NA) economic variable “intermediate consumption at purchasers’ prices” as provided from the Supply and Use Tables (SUT).

Final checks: Once all data are integrated and fully allocated, logical checks regarding mainly growth rates between consecutive years are performed.

Final data compilation: After this process is completed, relevant tables as reported in Eurostat’s Questionnaire of Air Emissions Accounts are compiled separately for each greenhouse gas and air pollutant.

Not applicable.

For the distribution across certain industries/services sectors and households, auxiliary data from National Accounts and more specifically the Supply and Use Tables (SUT) were used. These data refer mainly to the economic variable “intermediate consumption at purchasers’ prices”.

Information provided by annual emission inventories for consumption of transport fuels by type of vehicle (passengers cars, heavy duty vehicles, light duty vehicles, motorcycles), is the starting point for this distribution.

Emissions from passenger cars and motorcycles are exclusively attributed to Households-transport.

Regarding the commercial transport sector:

- Split between buses and heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) emissions are made considering diesel consumption as recorded in National Inventory Report (NIR) of Greece for 2021. Buses emissions are allocated exclusively to sector H49, while HDVs emissions are allocated to all NACE Rev.2 sectors using tonne-km (TKM) data from the annual transport survey of “National and International Road Freight Transport” compiled by ELSTAT’s Transport Statistics Section.

- Light duty vehicles (LDVs) emissions are allocated to all NACE Rev.2 sections excluding H50 (Water transport), H51 (Air transport) and L68A (Imputed rents of owner-occupied dwellings) using auxiliary data from Use Tables as provided by the National Accounts division.

Total Air Emissions for each air pollutant are allocated with the described methods to NACE Rev.2 economic sectors on annual basis. No additional adjustments (such as seasonal adjustment) are performed.

Not applicable in annual Air Emission Accounts.