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

The purpose of the proposal is to establish guidelines for minimum criteria in environmental inspections of industrial installations and other enterprises and facilities ('controlled installations') whose air emissions, water discharges or waste activities are subject to authorisation, permit or licence under Community law. Provided that the form of the proposal remained that of a recommendation, the Commission accepted in principle 5 of the 15 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. The Commission's amended proposal COM(1999) 652 final of 3 December 1999 took account of these 5 amendments, with some minor drafting changes. Two of these five amendments have been incorporated, in modified form, in the Common Position. The Commission considers that the Common Position achieves the purposes of the proposal and that some useful changes have been made. The changes made by the Council do not, in general, affect the substance of the proposal and are often helpful in clarifying its terms. The exclusion of nuclear inspections from the scope of the proposal is a significant modification but the Council and Commission statements are a sufficient response to enable new and more specific guidelines for nuclear installations to be proposed. Therefore, taking everything into account, the Commission supports the Common Position.�