1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of23December 1991
standardizingandrationalizingreportsontheimplementationofcertainDirectivesrelatingtothe
environment
(91/692/EEC)
(OJ L 377, 31.12.1991, p. 48)
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 146, 13.6.2003, p. 52 (91/692/EEC)
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COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of23December 1991
standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of
certain Directives relatingtotheenvironment
(91/692/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Article 130s thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (3),
Whereas some Community Directives relating to the environment
require the Member States to establish a report on the measures takento implement them; whereas the Commission drafts a consolidated
report; whereas other Community Directives relating to the environ-
ment call for no such reports;
Whereas the existing provisions on the establishment of reports stipu-
late different intervals between reports and set different requirementsfor their content;
Whereas such an obligation should be introduced to enable the Member
States and the Commission alike to assess the progress made in imple-menting these Directives throughout the Community's territory and, atthe same time, to provide the general public with a source of informa-
tion on this subject;
Whereas the existing provisions should therefore be harmonized to
make them more consistent and more complete on a sectoral basis;
Whereas the interval at which the Member States submit these reports
to the Commission should be fixed at three years, with a one-yearinterval between sectors; whereas the reports are to be drawn up onthe basis of a questionnaire produced by the Commission with theassistance of a committee and sent to Member States six months before
the start of the period referred to by the report; whereas the Commis-
sion is to publish a consolidated report on the sector concerned withinnine months of Member States' submission of their respective reports;
Whereas, in particular, the report on the implementation of Council
Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality ofbathing water (
4), as last amended by the 1985 Act of Accession,
should appear annually and in sufficient time to inform the public of
the quality of bathing water for the most recent period.
Whereas the measures which need to be taken by Member States do
not entail the adoption of legislation or regulations since the drawing-
up of reports on the implementation of Community Directives does notat present require the adoption of such provisions by Member States,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
The purpose of this Directive is to rationalize and improve on a
sectoral basis the provisions on the transmission of information andthe publication of reports concerning certain Community Directives on1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 214, 29. 8. 1990, p. 6.
(2) OJ No C 19, 28. 1. 1991, p. 587.
(3) OJ No C 60, 8. 3. 1991, p. 15.
(4) OJ No L 31, 5. 2. 1976, p. 1.
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the protection of the environment, without prejudice to the provisions
of the first indent of Article 155 of the Treaty.
Article 2
1. The provisions listed in Annex I shall be replaced by the
following:
‘At intervals of three years the Member States shall send informa-
tion to the Commission on the implementation of this Directive, inthe form of a sectoral report which shall also cover other pertinent
Community Directives. This report shall be drawn up on the basis
of a questionnaire or outline drafted by the Commission in accor-dance with the procedure laid down in Article 6 of Directive 91/692/EEC (*). The questionaire or outline shall be sent to theMember States six months before the start of the period covered
by the report. The report shall be sent to the Commission within
nine months of the end of the three-year period covered by it.
The first report shall cover the period from 1993 to 1995 inclusive.The Commission shall publish a Community report on the imple-
mentation of the Directive within nine months of receiving the
reports from the Member States.’
2. The text set out in paragraph 1 shall be inserted into the Direc-
tives listed in Annex II as there indicated.
Article 3
Article 13 of Directive 76/160/EEC shall be replaced by the following:
‘Article 13
Every year, and for the first time by 31 December 1993, the
Member States shall send to the Commission a report on the imple-mentation of this Directive in the current year. The report shall bedrawn upon the basis of a questionnaire or outline drafted by the
Commission in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
6 of Directive 91/692/EEC (*). The questionnaire or outline shall besent to the Member States six months before the start of the periodcovered by the report. The report shall be made to the Commissionbefore the end of the year in question.
The Commission shall publish a Community report on the imple-
mentation of the Directive within four months of receiving thereports from the Member States.’
Article 4
1. The provisions listed in Annex III shall be replaced by the
following:
‘At intervals of three years the Member States shall send informa-
tion to the Commission on the implementation of this Directive, inthe form of a sectoral report which shall also cover other pertinentCommunity Directives. This report shall be drawn up on the basisof a questionnaire or outline drafted by the Commission in accor-
dance with the procedure laid down in Article 6 of Directive 91/
692/EEC (*). The questionnaire or outline shall be sent to theMember States six months before the start of the period coveredby the report. The report shall be sent to the Commission withinnine months of the end of the three-year period covered by it.
The first report shall cover the period from 1994 to 1996 inclusive.
The Commission shall publish a Community report on the imple-
mentation of the Directive within nine months of receiving thereports from the Member States.’
2. The text set out in paragraph 1 shall be inserted into the Directive
listed in Annex IV as there indicated.1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 3
(*) OJ No L 377, 31. 12. 1991, p. 48.
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3. The following text shall be inserted into the Directives listed in
Annex V as there indicated:
‘The Commission shall each year communicate to the Member
States the information it has received pursuant to this Article.’
Article 5
The provisions listed in Annex VI shall be replaced by the following:
‘At intervals of three years Member States shall send information to
the Commission on the implementation of this Directive, in theform of a sectoral report which shall also cover other pertinentCommunity Directives. The report shall be drawn up on the basis
other of a questionnaire or outline drafted by the Commission in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6 of Directive91/692/EEC (*). The questionnaire or outline shall be sent to theMember States six months before the start of the period coveredby the report. The report shall be made to the Commission within
nine months of the end of the three-year period covered by it.
The first report shall cover the period 1995 to 1997 inclusive.
The Commission shall publish a Community report on the imple-
mentation of the Directive within nine months of receiving thereports from the Member States.’
Article 6
The Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of the
representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representativesof the Commission.
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a
draft of measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinionon the draft within a time limit which the chairman may lay downaccording to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered
by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the case
of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal fromthe Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member Stateswithin the committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in thatArticle. The chairman shall not vote.
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately.
However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion ofthe committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to theCouncil forthwith. In that event:
— the Commission may defer applications of the measures which it
has decided for a period of not more than one month from thedate of such communication,
— the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different
decision within the time limit referred to in the first indent.
Article 7
1. The Member States shall take such measures as are needed to
comply with the provisions of:
— Articles 2 and 3 by 1 January 1993 at the latest,
— Article 4 by 1 January 1994 at the latest,
— Article 5 by 1 January 1995 at the latest.
They shall immediately notify the Commission of the measures taken.2. The existing provisions of the various Directives which have been
amended by new provisions shall remain in force until the dates
mentioned in the first subparagraph 1.
3. When Member States adopt the measures referred to in paragraph
1, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompa-1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 4
(*) OJ No L 377, 31. 12. 1991, p. 48.
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nied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The
methods of making such a reference shall be laid down by the MemberStates.
Article 8
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 5
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ANNEX I
Directives amendedinaccordancewithArticle 2(1)ofthisDirective
(a) Article 13 (1) of Council Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 on pollution
caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environ-
ment of the Community (1).
(b) Article 14 of Council Directive 78/176/EEC of 20 February 1978 on waste
from the titanium oxide industry (2), as amended by Directive 83/29/EEC (3).
(c) Article 16 of Council Directive 78/659/EEC of 18 July 1978 on the quality
of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish
life (4), as last amended by the 1985 Act of Accession.
(d) Article 8 of Council Directive 79/869/EEC of 9 October 1979 concerning
the methods of measurement and frequencies of sampling and analysis of
surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water in the Member
States (5), as last amended by Directive 81/855/EEC (6).
(e) Article 14 of Council Directive 79/923/EEC of 30 October 1979 on the
quality required of shellfish waters (7).
(f) Article 16 (1) of Council Directive 80/68/EEC of 17 December 1979 on the
protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous
substances(8).
(g) Article 5 (1) and (2) (1) first subparagraph of Council Directive 82/176/EEC
of 22 March 1982 on limit values and quality objectives for mercury
discharges by the chlor-alkali electrolysis industry (9).
(h) Article 5 (1) and (2) of Council Directive 83/513/EEC of 26 September
1983 on limit values and quality objectives for cadmium discharges (10).
(i) Article 6 (1) of Council Directive 84/156/EEC of 8 March 1984 on limit
values and quality objectives for mercury discharges by sectors other than
the chlor-alkali electrolysis industry (11).
(j) Article 5 (1) and (2) of Council Directive 84/491/EEC of 9 October 1982 on
limit values and quality objectives for discharges of hexachlorcyclo-
hexane (12).
(k) Article 6 (1) and (2) of Council Directive 86/280/EEC of 12 June 1986 on
limit values and quality objectives for discharge of certain dangerous
substances included in list I of the Annex to Directive 76/464/EEC (13), as
last amended by Directive 90/415/EEC (14).1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 6
(1) OJ No L 129, 18. 5. 1976, p. 23.
(2) OJ No L 54, 25. 2. 1978, p. 19.
(3) OJ No L 32, 3. 2. 1983, p. 28.
(4) OJ No L 222, 14. 8. 1978, p. 1.
(5) OJ No L 271, 29. 10. 1979, p. 44.
(6) OJ No L 319, 7. 11. 1981, p. 16.
(7) OJ No L 281, 10. 11. 1979, p. 47.
(8) OJ No L 20, 26. 1. 1980, p. 43.
(9) OJ No L 81, 27. 3. 1982, p. 29.
(10) OJ No L 291, 24. 10. 1983, p. 2.
(11) OJ No L 74, 17. 3. 1984, p. 49.
(12) OJ No L 274, 17. 10. 1984, p. 11.
(13) OJ No L 181, 4. 7. 1986, p. 16.
(14) OJ No L 219, 14. 8. 1990, p. 49.
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ANNEX II
Directives supplementedinaccordancewithArticle2(2)ofthisDirective
(a) Council Directive 75/440/EEC of 16 June 1975 concerning the quality
required of surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water in
the Member States(1), as last amended by Directive 79/869/EEC (2).
The text of Article 2 (1) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 9a.
(b) Council Directive 80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of
water intended for human consumption (3), as last amended by Directive
81/858/EEC (4).
The text of Article 2 (1) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 17a.1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 7
(1) OJ NO L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 26.
(2) OJ NO L 271, 29. 10. 1979, p. 44.
(3) OJ NO L 229, 30. 8. 1980, p. 11.
(4) OJ NO L 319, 7. 11. 1981, p. 19.
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ANNEX III
Directives amendedinaccordancewithArticle 4(1)ofthisDirective
(a) Article 8 of Council Directive 80/779/EEC of 15 July on air quality limit
values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates (1),
as last amended by Directive 89/427/EEC (2).
(b) Article 18 of Council Directive 82/501/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the major-
accident hazards of certain industrial activities (3), as last amended by Direc-
tive 88/610/EEC (4).
(c) Article 6 of Council Directive 82/884/EEC of 3 December 1982 on a limit
value for lead in the air (5).
(d) Article 8 of Council Directive 85/203/EEC of 7 March 1985 on air quality
standards for nitrogen dioxide (6), as amended by Directive 85/580/EEC (7).
(e) Article 13 (1) of Council Directive 87/217/EEC of 19 March 1987 on the
prevention and reduction of environmental pollution by asbestos(8).1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 8
(1) OJ No L 229, 30. 8. 1980, p. 30.
(2) OJ No L 201, 14. 7. 1989, p. 53.
(3) OJ No L 230, 5. 8. 1982, p. 1.
(4) OJ No L 336, 7. 12. 1988, p. 14.
(5) OJ No L 378, 31. 12. 1982, p. 15.
(6) OJ No L 87, 27. 3. 1985, p. 1.
(7) OJ No L 372, 31. 12. 1985, p. 36.
(8) OJ No L 85, 28. 3. 1987, p. 40.
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ANNEX IV
Directives amendedinaccordancewithArticle 4(2)ofthisDirective
(a) Council Directive 75/716/EEC of 24 November 1975 on the approximation
of the laws of the Member States relating to the sulphur content of certain
liquid fuels(1), as last amended by Directive 87/219/EEC (2).
The text of Article 4 (2) of this Directive is incorporated in Article 7a.
(b) Council Directive 84/360/EEC of 28 June 1984 on the combating of air
pollution from industrial plants (3).
The text of Article 4 (2) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 15a.1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 9
(1) OJ No L 307, 27. 11. 1975. p. 22.
(2) OJ No L 91, 3. 4. 1987, p. 19.
(3) OJ No L 188, 16. 7. 1984, p. 20.
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ANNEX V
Directives amendedinaccordancewithArticle 4(3)ofthisDirective
(a) Council Directive 80/779/EEC of 15 July 1980 on air quality limit values
and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates, as
amended by Directive 89/427/EEC.
The text of Article 4 (3) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 7 (4).
(b) Council Directive 82/884/EEC of 3 December 1982 on a limit value for lead
in the air.
The text of Article 4 (3) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 5 (4).
(c) Council Directive 85/203/EEC of 7 March 1985 on air quality standards for
nitrogen dioxide, as amended by Directive 85/580/EEC.
The text of Article 4 (3) of this Directive is incorporated as Article 7 (4).1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 10
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ANNEX VI
Directives amendedinaccordancewithArticle 5ofthisDirective
(a) Article 18 of Council Directive 74/439/EEC of 16 June 1975 on the disposal
of waste oils (1), as amended by Directive 87/101/EEC (2).
(b) Article 16 of Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste(3), as
amended by Directive 91/156/EEC (4).
(c) Article 10 of Council Directive 76/403/EEC of 6 April 1976 on the disposal
of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (5).
(d) Article 16 of Council Directive 78/319/EEC of 20 March 1978 on toxic and
dangerous waste (6), as last amended by the 1985 Act of Accession.
(e) Article 13 (1) of Council Directive 84/631/EEC of 6 December 1984 on the
supervision and control within the European Community of the trans-fron-
tier shipment of hazardous waste (7), as last amended by Commission
Directive 87/112/EEC (8).
(f) Article 6 of Council Directive 85/339/EEC of 27 June 1985 on containers of
liquids for human consumption (9).
(g) Article 17 of Council Directive 86/278/EEC of 12 June 1986 on the protec-
tion of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is
used in agriculture (10).1991L0692 — EN — 23.12.1991 — 000.001 — 11
(1) OJ No L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 23.
(2) OJ No L 42, 12. 2. 1987, p. 43.
(3) OJ No L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 39.
(4) OJ No L 78, 26. 3. 1991, p. 32.
(5) OJ No L 108, 26. 4. 1976, p. 41.
(6) OJ No L 84, 31. 3. 1978, p. 43.
(7) OJ No L 236, 13. 12. 1984, p. 31.
(8) OJ No L 48, 17. 2. 1987, p. 31.
(9) OJ No L 176, 6. 7. 1985, p. 18.
(10) OJ No L 181, 4. 7. 1986. p. 6.▼C1
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