National Institute of Statistics Romania

Department of agriculture and environment statistics

florina.savu@insse.ro

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)
• material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (RME)

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.

Romania

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.

LAW 226/2009 on the organisation and functioning of official statistics in Romania updated with subsequent amendments;

REGULATION (EC) No 223/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 March 2009 on European statistics and repealing Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1101/2008 of the EuropeanParliament and of the Council on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, and Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom establishing a Committee on the StatisticalProgrammes of the European Communities;

Council Regulation (EEC) No 3924/91 of 19 December 1991 on the establishment of a Community survey of industrial production.

The confidential data are marked with the footnote c), following the instructions of the footnotes in the questionnaire.

National release calendar for material flow account data: 28/06/2024 TEMPO (NIS online database), 20/12/2024 annual publication on environmental economic accounts.

https://insse.ro/cms/files/legislatie/programe%20si%20strategii/2023/PSNA_2023_MO_177bis_HG_161_2023%20.pdf

The data are available in the publication Environmental economic accounts and in the online TEMPO database.

National release calendar for material flow account data: 28/06/2024 TEMPO (NIS online database), 20/12/2024 annual publication on environmental economic accounts.

Data are disseminated annually.

Not applicable

Annual publication: Environmental economic accounts

https://insse.ro/cms/sites/default/files/field/publicatii/conturi_economice_de_mediu-2023.pdf

Online TEMPO database:

http://statistici.insse.ro:8077/tempo-online/#/pages/tables/insse-table

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Not applicable

No other disemination format

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Metadata in online metadata base:

http://80.96.186.4:81/metadata/viewAbbreviation.htm#INS 

Metadata in annual publication:

https://insse.ro/cms/sites/default/files/field/publicatii/conturi_economice_de_mediu-2023.pdf

National metodology:

http://80.96.186.4:81/metadata/viewStatisticalResearch.htm?locale=ro&researchId=55  

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

We complete the Eurostat quality report.

To ensure the quality of data EW-MFA, we validate data throught double check with data providers and assurance of fully correlation with data sources.

There is a continuous quality improvement process of EW-MFA due to analyzes and decisions have made following annual discussions with data providers and suggestions of the Eurostat.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Tabel A - we have no data for MEMO categories

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

We do not have the possibility to assess 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.

Romania transmits the data to Eurostat every year in April covering the years 1994 - n-2 (n = current year).

The average production time for data is 12 months.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

No lag between the actual delivery of the data and the target date when it should have been delivery

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):

There are no differences.

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

No accuracy or coherence problems

We are using the same datasources for the entire time series

Cost associated not available

NIS has a revision policy which defines the standard rules and the principles for statistical data revision. This revision policy complies with: the  European  Statistics  Code  of  Practice,  adopted  by  the  European  Statistical  System  Committee (ESSC). We revised data for period 2008-2021 for tabels F and G because AEA revised the data.

We review the entire series for completeness every year, if necessary.

For the figure MF.1.1.1 (2020 and 2021) the data were revised because the data source, Department of Agriculture, updated the data.

Tables B and D: the figures were revised in accordance with annex 4 - Correspondence between Combined Nomenclature 2023 (CN) and EW-MFA classification for imports and exports

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.

We used Eurostat's country RME tool to compile the MFA in RME. We made the country specific alterations.

Annual

We collected data from inside and outside of organization. The providers from outside are National Agency for Environmental Protection and National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration. The data are provided based on the convestions between NIS and these providers. Within our organization the data are provided on request.

We ensure the proper quality of data source by checking them with the previous years data

Please see the next points

Not applicable.

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

We used Eurostat's correspondece table, provided with the EW-MFA questionnaire, to assign traded goods to material categories

Yes, only for 27112100 NC code, and used national factors.

No, we don't undertake residence adjustments.

We do not encounter significant problems

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

Not applicable.