Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
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European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

2004/0231(COD)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Hans BLOKLAND (IND/DEM, NL)with a number of compromise amendments agreed between the Parliament and Council with a view to concluding this procedure at first reading. The amendments add technical precision and strengthen free access to information. (Please see the summary of 24/05/2005.)

Parliament added a further recital stating that the European PRTR aims, among other things, at informing the public on important pollutant emissions due in particular to activities covered by Directive 96/61/EC. This means that information of the public on emissions by installations covered by Annex I of the above-mentioned Directive is done through the Regulation on a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register.

- Article 5 includes a clause stating that the operator of each facility that undertakes one or more of the activities specified in Annex I above the applicable capacity thresholds specified shall communicate to its competent authority the information identifying the facility in accordance with Annex III unless the information is already available to the competent authority. The releases referred to in Annex II shall include all releases from all sources included in Annex I at the site of the facility.

- The operator of each facility concerned shall keep available for the competent authorities of the Member State the records of the data from which the reported information was derived for a period of five years, (rather than 10 years).

- When collecting data from diffuse sources, international approved methodologies should be used whenever these are available;

- The Commission will develop a guidance document supporting the implementation of the European PRTR as soon as possible but no later than four months before the beginning of the first reporting year (rather than 9 months after entry into force of the Regulation.)

- The threshold level for releases of  PCDD + PCDF (dioxins + furans) in Annex II should be lowered from 0.001 kg (1g) to 0.0001 kg (0.1g) (please see the summary of 24/05/2005.)