Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
National Institute of statistics and economic studies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Thematic accounts
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Bâtiment Twist 12, boulevard du Jazz L-4370 Belvaux
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
30 September 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 September 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
30 September 2025
3.1. Data description
Forest accounts record and present data on forest resources and economic activity in the forestry and logging industry in a way that is fully compatible with the data reported under the ESA 2010. Forest accounts provide complementary information and use concepts adapted to the particular nature of forests and of the forestry and logging industry.
3.2. Classification system
European Forest Accounts (EFA) consists of accounts in four main areas:
asset accounts for wooded land (physical and monetary),
asset accounts for timber stocks (physical and monetary),
economic accounts for the forestry and logging industry (monetary),
supply and use tables for flows of wood in the rough (physical and monetary).
Asset accounts are classified based on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA CF).
The standard followed for monetary tables is the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010).
Other classifications used are: Statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2.1), Statistical classification of products by activity (CPA Ver. 2.2).
3.3. Coverage - sector
Forest accounts record the stocks and flows of forest resources (wooded land and timber) and economic activity in the forestry and logging industry, including production of roundwood and the extraction and gathering of wild growing non-wood forest products.
3.3.1. Sector coverage for removals:
The totality of timber removals is included, irrespective of the institutional unit.
3.3.2. The scope of data in EFA Table B1:
The reporting for EFA Table B1 complies with the guidance: includes all NACE A02 activities on the national territory and excludes forestry and logging as secondary activity of other industries.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The construction of the EFA accounts closely follows the concepts, definitions and accounting rules of the core national accounts.
The scope of item 'output of forest trees' from Table B1 is defined, as per the ESA 2010 rules, as the total value of net annual increment of trees.
3.4.3. Definition method for monetary value of timber stock in forest land:
The monetary value of timber stocks in forest land is determined using the stumpage value method, meaning the “the value of, or price paid for, timber as it stands uncut in the woods” (IEEAF, 2002, 3.130).
The stumpage price is estimated via roadside pickup prices, and by adjusting for harvesting costs and transport associated with moving timber to the roadside. The method is described in the European Forest Accounts Handbook, page 78 (4.71).
3.5. Statistical unit
EFA accounts present data compatible with the data reported under ESA (ESA 2010, 1.54-63). EFA uses statistical units from national accounts.
3.6. Statistical population
Units involved in forest resources and the economic activity in the forestry and logging industry.
3.7. Reference area
The data in all EFA tables use the entire country territory as a reference area.
The reference area of the statistics is Luxembourg. The reference area is the economic territory as defined in the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country when it has its 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.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Available data cover the period: 2016-2023.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Asset accounts for wooded land, asset accounts for timber stocks and supply and use tables for flows of wood in the rough are measured in both volume and million units of national currency.
Economic accounts for the forestry and logging industry are measured in million units of national currency.
The reference period for EFA accounts data is the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
EFA accounts are compiled and reported in accordance with annex VII of the Regulation (EU) No. 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts. They present data in a way that is compatible with National Accounts (ESA, 2010).
EFA follow internationally agreed concepts and definitions set out in the SEEA Central Framework (2012), the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA 2021) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Forest Resources Assessment (FAO FRA T&D 2020 and 2025).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are shared with the Nature and Forest Agency in the same time as officially sent to Eurostat.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics) applies for EFA accounts.
A data is confidential if the NACE has less than 4 companies or if a company is dominant.
Primary and secondary confidentialities are defined if necessary.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Confidential data are flagged as confidential. These data are not published. The most common approach is to present only aggregation of the confidential data point with the non-confidential data that is the nearest suitable data point.
8.1. Release calendar
National release calendar is published on the website of Luxembourg’s national statistical institute (STATEC).
The data are usually published on the web portal (LUSTAT Data Explorer (statec.lu)), with a delay of maximum 15 days after they have been sent to Eurostat.
yearly
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
No news release yet for EFA.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
No publication yet for EFA.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
EFA accounts are a newly compiled module. Data are planned to be released on the web portal in the future.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Microdata are not accessible for confidentiality reasons.
Quality report - provided via the Metadata Handler
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality of EFA accounts data is assured by strict application of ESA 2010 concepts and by applying the guidelines of the ESS handbook for quality reports.
Quality aspects are reported to Eurostat via the newly EFA Euro-SDMX metadata structure (ESMS) templates. EFA accounts are implemented and reported on a mandatory basis as of 2025.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Quality is assured via a number of verifications integrated in the production process, such as: preliminary data sources checks, consistency with national accounts, consistency with the JFSQ, consistency with data from the National Forestry Administration. Time series plausibility is also checked.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
User needs could potentially use EFA data for planning and monitoring various forest related policies, goals and targets, for increase knowledge and common understanding of forests, or for considering forests and forestry activity in a comparable way to other ecosystems, other land uses and economic activities.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
New data reporting, user satisfaction not assessed.
12.3. Completeness
All mandatory years and all mandatory variables are reported.
Tables A1a, A2a, A2b, B1, B2 B3a and B3b are fully reported ( both mandatory and voluntary data).
In addition, EFA accounts for voluntary reference years 2016-2021 are as well provided.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
There are no specific quality issue related to accuracy to be highlighted.
Data are considered accurate, given that the sources used (mainly national accounts) are themselves based on the most detailed basic economic data available nationally at the National Forestry Administration.
13.2. Sampling error
not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
not applicable
14.1. Timeliness
Data are produced 21 months after the end of the reference period.
14.2. Punctuality
Luxembourg transmits annual EFA accounts before or in line with the legal deadline (30 September).
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The comparability is insured by the application of common definitions (System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework SEEA CF, European System of Accounts ESA 2010, EFA handbook, the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Forest Resources Assessment).
15.2. Comparability - over time
Statistics are comparable for the entire reporting period 2016-2023.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data are fully coherent with national accounts and with the ESST (for the capital transfers).
15.4. Coherence - internal
15.4.1. Scope of data reported for EFA tables A1 and A2:
The scope of the data reported for Table A1a (forest area) is consistent with the scope of the Table A2a ( volume of timber).
The scope of timber reported for 'Forest' in Table A2 is aligned with the area of forest in Table A1.
15.4.2. Scope of data for Removals:
The scope of the data reported for Removals is consistent with the data reported for the 'Opening and closing stocks' of timber.
0.1 FTE is necessary to compile EFA once the process is established.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Routine revisions are revisions carried out during the annual compilation process. Statistics could be slightly different from the previous campaign due to update in data sources (mainly t-1 and t-2, but also possible for t-3 and t-4) . These type of revisions are published at the end of compilation campaign and in the same time as the dissemination of the new results (year t-2). They are highlighted in the reporting to Eurostat via footnotes or directly in the Quality Report.
Exceptional revisions are revisions carried out as a result of major changes in data sources( e.g. benchmark revisions in national accounts), classifications, methodology or identification of errors. In the case of errors corrections, exceptional revisions are published anytime and directly after the correction of the error. In the case of benchmark revisions, data revisions are published at the end of compilation campaign and in the same time as the dissemination of the new results (year t-2).
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revisions are in general linked with the revisions of source data.
In 2024, revisions were performed for reference years 2020-2022. These revisions occurred due to methodological changes in view of aligning the EFA reporting to the new legal obligations and the new 2024 EFA handbook.
In 2025, revisions were performed for the reference years 2016-2019. These revisions occurred due to methodological changes in view of aligning the EFA reporting to the new legal obligations and the new 2024 EFA handbook. Reference years 2020-2022 were also slightly revised due to the revisions of data sources.
18.1. Source data
EFA compilation require the used of several data sources as described below :
Table A1a -national forestry inventories, national inventory of GHG (table 4.A), data concerning national protection zones(using the information from the Ministry of Environment Website
Tables A2a and A2b - national forestry inventories, JFSQ, economic data from the National Administration of Forests, detailed national accounts data, data from EFA table A1a
Tables B1, B2 and B3 - economic data from the National Administration of Forests, national accounts data, ESST by NACE (for D9), own estimations, JFSQ data
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data are collected and compiled annually in the framework of EFA compilation process.
18.3. Data collection
There is no specific data collection performed for EFA.
Administrative data, as well as national accounts data, other statistics are used for the compilation. Data are available internally or received from the National Forestry Administration.
18.4. Data validation
Data sources used for compiling EFA are checked and validated inside the production units.
In addition, we perform and document plausibility checks for the time series evolution. Consistency of totals is also verified. Final checks are also performed vis Eurostat's checks embedded in the questionnaire.
18.5. Data compilation
The various data requested for EFA are withdrawn from the mentioned sources in point 18.1 and processed according to the guidelines from the EFA 2024 Manual.
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustments are needed.
No comments.
Forest accounts record and present data on forest resources and economic activity in the forestry and logging industry in a way that is fully compatible with the data reported under the ESA 2010. Forest accounts provide complementary information and use concepts adapted to the particular nature of forests and of the forestry and logging industry.
30 September 2025
The construction of the EFA accounts closely follows the concepts, definitions and accounting rules of the core national accounts.
The scope of item 'output of forest trees' from Table B1 is defined, as per the ESA 2010 rules, as the total value of net annual increment of trees.
3.4.3. Definition method for monetary value of timber stock in forest land:
The monetary value of timber stocks in forest land is determined using the stumpage value method, meaning the “the value of, or price paid for, timber as it stands uncut in the woods” (IEEAF, 2002, 3.130).
The stumpage price is estimated via roadside pickup prices, and by adjusting for harvesting costs and transport associated with moving timber to the roadside. The method is described in the European Forest Accounts Handbook, page 78 (4.71).
EFA accounts present data compatible with the data reported under ESA (ESA 2010, 1.54-63). EFA uses statistical units from national accounts.
Units involved in forest resources and the economic activity in the forestry and logging industry.
The data in all EFA tables use the entire country territory as a reference area.
The reference area of the statistics is Luxembourg. The reference area is the economic territory as defined in the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country when it has its 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 period for EFA accounts data is the calendar year.
There are no specific quality issue related to accuracy to be highlighted.
Data are considered accurate, given that the sources used (mainly national accounts) are themselves based on the most detailed basic economic data available nationally at the National Forestry Administration.
Asset accounts for wooded land, asset accounts for timber stocks and supply and use tables for flows of wood in the rough are measured in both volume and million units of national currency.
Economic accounts for the forestry and logging industry are measured in million units of national currency.
The various data requested for EFA are withdrawn from the mentioned sources in point 18.1 and processed according to the guidelines from the EFA 2024 Manual.
EFA compilation require the used of several data sources as described below :
Table A1a -national forestry inventories, national inventory of GHG (table 4.A), data concerning national protection zones(using the information from the Ministry of Environment Website
Tables A2a and A2b - national forestry inventories, JFSQ, economic data from the National Administration of Forests, detailed national accounts data, data from EFA table A1a
Tables B1, B2 and B3 - economic data from the National Administration of Forests, national accounts data, ESST by NACE (for D9), own estimations, JFSQ data
yearly
Data are produced 21 months after the end of the reference period.
The comparability is insured by the application of common definitions (System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework SEEA CF, European System of Accounts ESA 2010, EFA handbook, the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Forest Resources Assessment).
Statistics are comparable for the entire reporting period 2016-2023.
