Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
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European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

2004/0231(COD)

The Commission presented a progress report on the implementation of Regulation (EC) 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).

The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) provides high-quality environmental information on emissions from Europe’s largest industrial facilities. This information is used to set priorities for cost-effective emission reduction strategies, to measure progress in reducing pollution and to influence operators to adopt environmentally friendly practices and techniques.

The E-PRTR implements, at EU level, the UNECE PRTR (Kiev) Protocol to the Aarhus Convention.

To help Member States implement the E-PRTR consistently, in 2006 the Commission published a guidance document explaining who should report, what they should report, and how they should submit the data.

Member State implementation: the implementation of the E-PRTR Regulation is dependent on coordinated EU-level actions taken by the European Commission and European Environment Agency (EEA), and on national measures.

All EU Member States have implemented the E-PRTR Regulation. As the Regulation is of interest to the European Economic Area, it has also been implemented in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Under its REFIT programme, the Commission has evaluated the E-PRTR Regulation, assessing the core analytical questions on effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value. 

The Commission considered that the E-PRTR Regulation is an important instrument in the EU’s environmental acquis and is fit for purpose.

The E-PRTR is an important and pivotal component in the knowledge base on emissions from industrial activities in Europe. The readily accessible, high-quality data available on the E-PRTR website equip the public with information that greatly enhances their ability to engage with wider environmental decision-making. Moreover, for a variety of other users, including policy analysts and developers, the E-PRTR remains the primary reference point for key environmental facts on large industrial activities.

The E-PRTR provides added value beyond the requirements of the Kiev Protocol by ensuring consistent implementation of the Protocol across all Member States.

Possible improvements: many of the issues raised in the 2013 report to the European Parliament and the Council have been remedied, in particular with regard to improving data quality and user confidence, improving the use and exchange of data and clarification of the European PRTR Regulation and links with other legislation.

The Commission nevertheless suggests certain areas for improvement:

  • revising the existing guidance document to help Member States with consistent implementation; 
  • better streamlining reporting obligations by further exploiting synergies with related environmental legislation;
  • reducing the administrative burden on Member States; and
  • exploring options for additional contextual information to make E-PRTR data more effective. Additional context could be provided by such measures as increasing the granularity of activity descriptions, including quantitative activity data and better explaining the possible health and environmental impacts of the stated releases, as well as better signposting access to further information on air and water quality.