Environment: implementation of the Community law, minimal criteria for inspections

PURPOSE : Proposal for a Council Recommendation providing for minimum criteria for environmental inspections in the Member States. CONTENT : Following on from the Commission's 1996 Communication concerning the implementation of Community Environmental Law (see COS0485), this proposal for a Recommendation would apply to environmental inspections of all industrial installations and other enterprises and facilities whose emissions and/or discharges to the environment, or activities which may lead thereto, are subject to authorisation, permit or licence requirement under EC law. It also would also apply to inspections of nuclear installations in the research and medical sectors. In recognition of the fact that there is a wide disparity in the inspections systems and mechanisms among Member States, the proposal is in the form of a non-binding instrument and leaves to Member States the choice of the inspections, administrative structure and systems, and the level at which such structures and systems are established, whether national, regional or local level. The following aspects are covered by the proposed Recommendation: - the organisation and carrying out of environmental inspections; - plans for environmental inspections, which have to be accessible to the public; - criteria to be respected for site visits; - reports and conclusions following site visits; - investigations of serious accidents, incidents and occurrences of non-compliance.�