State Statistical Office of the Republic of North Macedonia

Department for environment, energy and transport

Dame Gruev no 4

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.

 The accounts comprise the following 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
• Table D 'Exports – total exports   

These physical trade tables record the imports and exports of products in thousand tonnes and grouped by materials.

- Domestic extracted reources by types of materials, in physical units (biomass and biomass products; metal ores and concentrates, raw and processed; non-metalic minerals, raw and processed; material for fossil energy, raw and processed; other products).

Domestic extraction (DE): DE indicates the total amount of material extracted by resident units from the natural environment for further processing in the economy

Imports (IMP):  As opposed to domestically extracted materials, goods traded with abroad: basic commodities,  semi-manufactured goods and finished goods.

Exports (EXP): As opposed to domestically extracted materials, goods traded with the abroad are the commodities and products in various stages of processing: basic commodities (unmilled cereals, ore concentrate and the like), semi-manufactured goods (worked wood or steel ingots) and finished goods (technical equipment, furniture and the like).

Domestic material consumption (DMC): DMC is calculated as direct material input minus physical exports: DMC = DMI – EXP.

Direct material input (DMI): DMI indicates the direct input of material into the economy. DMI includes all materials which are of economic value and which are availble for use in production and consumption activities and it is calculated as the sum of domestic extraction plus physical imports: DMI = DE + IMP.

Physical trade balance (PTB) - equals physical imports minus physical exports PTB = IMP - EXP.

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)
• balancing items (Table G)
• direct material input (indicator)
• domestic material consumption (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 the whole national economy 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').

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

EW-MFA refer to the entire national economy.

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.

NTES 1 and 2 (Republic of North Macedonia)

Material flow accounts data are annual and start with the year 2010. Time series 2010-2022

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

The unit of measure is thousand tonnes.

The calendar year.

NATIONAL LEGISLATION
Law on State Statistics ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia" No. 54/1997, 21/2007, 51/2011, 104/2013, 42/2014, 192/2015, 27/16, 83/18, 220/18, 31/20) ( https://www.stat.gov.mk /ZakonZaStatistika_en.aspx )

The Programme of Statistical Surveys 2023-2027 ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia" No. 29/23). ( https://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas_en.aspx?id=8 )

EUROPEAN LEGISLATION
Regulation (EU) 691/2011 on European Environmental Economic Accounts and Regulation (EU) 538/2014 on European Environmental Economic Accounts amending Regulation (EU) No. 691/2011.
Regulation 2014/538 - Amendment of Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts

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

Not applicable.

All individual or personal data, in each phase of statistical processing, are treated as confidential data and may be used only for statistical purposes. When releasing data from this survey at an aggregated level, there is no need for additional data treatment for the purpose of ensuring confidentiality.

Individual data are protected by the Law on State Statistics . Data collected with statistical surveys from the reporting units or indirectly from administrative or other sources are confidential data and are used only for statistical purposes. Results from the statistical processing may also generate information considered as confidential, for example: anonymised individual data, tables with low level of aggregation, as well as unreleased data. The Policy on Statistical Confidentiality   contains the basic principles used in the SSO.

All individual or personal data, in each phase of statistical processing, are treated as confidential data and may be used only for statistical purposes. When releasing data from this survey at an aggregated level, there is no need for additional data treatment for the purpose of ensuring confidentiality.

The publication of the data is in accordance with the Release Calendar which is being prepared annually before the beginning of the calendar year and is updated quarterly.

http://www.stat.gov.mk/Kalendar_nov_en.aspx

In accordance with the dissemination policy, all users have equal access to statistical data at the same time. Data are released on the web site at the same time for all users, which are informed with the Release Calendar, and no user has privileged access.

Annual, T+180

A news release is published every year in November, News release: Material flow acconts in the whole economy

http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie.aspx?rbrtxt=130

Data on Materail Flow Accounts are published in:
Publications:
Statistical Yearbook ( https://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziPublikacija_1_en.aspx?rbr=845 )
Environmental Statistics ( https://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziPublikacija_1.aspx?rbr=847 )

MAKSTAT data base https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__ZivotnaSredina/700_ZivSred_SMT_en.px/

Not applicable.

According to the Law on State Statistics   (Article 41) and the Policy on Access to Anonymised Microdata for scientific purposes , data collected for the purpose of official statistics may be used for scientific purposes if there is no risk of direct or indirect identification, i.e. disclosure of data individuality. Access to microdata is possible only in the safe room at the SSO, based on a submitted and approved request and a signed agreement.

Survey data are sent to Eurostat and they are released on the web site of this institution:

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

Number of reviews of metadata = 0.

The Methodological explanation, national 

http://www.stat.gov.mk/MetodoloskiObjasSoop.aspx?id=130&rbrObl=28

Eurostat: Online database Material flows and resource productivity (env_mrp)

Metadata coverage from statistical outputs = 88.9%.

Metadata coverage from statistical processes = 75%.

Metadata coverage from the quality = 70.6%.

Quality report for 2022, from SSO, to Eurostat

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/env_ac_mfa_sims.htm

The commitment of the SSO to ensuring quality of products and services is described in the:

• Law on State Statistics
• Strategy of the State Statistical Office Quality
• Policy of the State Statistical Office

as well as in the continuous efforts for harmonisation with the European Statistics Code of Practice . The main aspects and procedures for quality management in the phases and sub-processes of the Statistical Business Process Model, as well as the good practices for ensuring quality are documented in the internal document called “Guide for ensuring quality of statistical processes”. Input and output metadata, as well as relevant quality indicators for certain sub-processes are described in the document “Guide for survey managers.

Data on material flow accounts are used by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. All levels of aggregation according to the regulations for satelite economic accounts for environmeny are calculated and published on national level and are sent to Eurostat.

Statistical survey on material flow accounts satisfies the principle of accuracy.

Data on material flow accounts are timely and geographically comparable, interdomain and internal coherency of data is ensured.

The users include policy makers in ministry of environment, other statistical units, environmental organisations, researchers, students and interested citizens.

The State Statistical Office conducts the User Satisfaction Survey. This Survey was conducted in 2009, 2012, 2015  and the last one in 2017.

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

Data  are available since 2010.

Number of provided data at national level = (1 data * 1 year) = 1

Number of data which have to be provided at national level = (1 data * 1 year) = 1

Number of data which have to be sent to Eurostat = (1 data * 1 year) = 1

Completness of data at national level = (1/1*100)=100%.

Number of sent data to Eurostat = (1 data * 1 year) = 1

Completness of data to Eurostat = (1/1*100)=100%.

Notwithstanding EW-MFA stem from a variety of data sources (e.g. agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics, production statistics, geological surveys, energy statistics, foreign trade statistics etc.) the overall accuracy is considered good.

Data accuracy is ensured by working on decreasing  errors, as well as with additional data comparisons and analysis before dissemination.

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. No errors when data are collected.

Differences in the values of colected with real data are currently processed and measurement is not performed.

This statistical survey has 100% coverage of units and topics.

Units without answer (not covered units from the entire population) = 0%.

Topics without answer = 0%.

Under coverage= 0%.

Proportion of shared units = 0%.

No measurement is performed during data processing.

Not applicable.

Data on material flow accounts are published 24 months after the reference period is expired. First results are published 12 months after expiration of the reference period.

T+330

Not applicable.All data are published according to the deadlines in the Release Calendar  and are sent do Eurostat in a timely manner.

Time difference of first release releasing = 0 days.

Time difference of sumbitting to Eurostat = 0 days.

All data are delivered according to the deadlines in the Release Calendar and are sent do Eurostat in a timely manner.

Time difference of first release publishing = 0 days.

Time difference of sumbitting to Eurostat = 0 days.

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.

Lenth of comparable time series = 12 reference periods. Please see the table in 15.2.1.1. for detailed info.

Lenth of comparable time series = 13 reference periods.

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

Data are partially coherent. For calculation of material flow accounts data from other statistical surveys are used. From these data with additional processing appropriate indicators are calculated which are used for calculation of material flow accounts. Then calculated data are compared with the data from: agricultural statistics, energy, industry and foreign trade statistics. Before the comparison, methodological differences are considered in order do check reliability, accuracy of collected data from this analitical survey with other surveys.

Not applicable.

The data are coherent with national accounts and environmental-economic accounts.

Internal coherence of data is ensured, data are controlled and analysed in the process of production.

No costs for data collection, not burden of reporting units because data are taken directly (electronically) from administrative sources.

In accordance with the Statistical Data Revision Policy:

http://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas.aspx?id=25

There is a revision practice. For the year 2021 data are revised in Tables B and D (import and export) because the department of foreign trade delivered preliminary data for the current year and in 2022 deliver final data for 2021. Also for 2022 data are preliminary and for the reporting year 2021 data are revised.

Not applicable.

EW-MFA is a systematic and comprehensive conceptual framework which consists of accounting rules, definitions, and classifications. For populating the EW-MFA framework with data various statistical sources have to be used. Those original sources have to be reformatted
and amended in order to comply with the concepts of the EW-MFA accounting system. For preparing the tables, data from administrative sources and statistical surveys were used. The main sources were data compiled by statistical surveys from production statistics (PRODCOM), agricultural crop statistics forestry and fishery statistics, energy, water collection, treatment and supply, external trade statistics (import and export). For the calculation of indicators per capita we used data on average population for individually year. For the calculation of indicators of resource productivity we used data on GDP (in chain-linked volumes to the respective reference year exchange rates and in PPS) from the Eurostat’s Eurobase.

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

Table A. Domestic extraction

MF1 Biomass

MF1.1 - CData from crop production survey

MF1.2 - CData from crop production survey

MF1.3 - CData from forestry statistics survey

MF1.4 - CData from survey on fishery and aquaculture

MF2 Metal ores (gross ores)

MF 3 Non-metalic minerals

PRODCOM

MF4 Fossil energy materials/carriers

Energy statistics survey (energy balances)

Table B. Imports

Foireign trade, tariffs

Table D. Exports

Foireign trade, tariffs

Not applicable

Data are collected annually.

EW-MFA data collection is regulated by Regulation (EU) No. 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts.

Data collection is performed electronically from data bases of the statistical surveys in SSO.

Data validation is done through the entire process of processing and calculation according to the criteria for calculation of output data.

Data are taken from other SSO surveys , after which data control is performed according to advanced defined logical propositions. Data are entered into Eurostat questionnaire which has own validation tables. By the end standardized output tables are prepared with the main results which are published.

Imputation of units = 0%

Imputation of topics = 0%

See Annex 2.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

No significant problems.

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

Not applicable, no seasonal adjustment of data.