COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the REFIT Evaluation of Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer register (E-PRTR) Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on progress in implementing Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer register (E-PRTR)
Date: 2017-12-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU environmental policy, European Economic Area, Internet site, application of EU law, data collection, disclosure of information, environmental monitoring, exchange of information, industrial pollution

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 13.12.2017  SWD(2017) 711 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the REFIT Evaluation of Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer register (E-PRTR)    Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on progress in implementing Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer register (E-PRTR) {COM(2017) 810 final}  - {SWD(2017) 710 final}  
 
 
The  E-PRTR  provides  accessible  environmental  data  from  the  largest  industrial  facilities  in 
European Union Member States1.  

Emission  data  are  reported  annually  by  more  than  30 000  industrial  facilities,  covering  65 
economic  activities.  Data  covers  mass  releases  to  air,  water  and  land,  together  with  waste 
transfers off-site.  

The E-PRTR Regulation implements, for the European Union as a whole, the Kiev Protocol2. 
Since  Member  States  have  direct  reporting  obligations  as  parties  or  signatories  to  the 
Protocol, the evaluation focused on additional obligations under the Regulation: 

a)  operators reporting on five additional water pollutants and lower reporting thresholds 

for dioxin / furan emissions; 

b)  annual reporting of data by Member States to the Commission; 
c)  the Commission incorporating that data into the E-PRTR; 
d)  a Commission guidance document to facilitate consistent Member State practices; and 
e)  triennial implementation reporting to the European Parliament and the Council. 

To  undertake  the  Regulatory  Fitness  and  Performance  (REFIT)  evaluation,  the  Commission 
used  Member  State  implementation  returns,  consultations,  a  stakeholder  workshop  and  a 
consultant's  supporting  study.  Using  these  sources,  the  evaluation  criteria  were  assessed  as 
follows: 

  The E-PRTR is effective, as it provides a highly comprehensive and detailed dataset 
on  industrial  emissions.  There  is  broad  stakeholder  appreciation  of  the  valuable 
contribution to access to environmental information. The completeness and quality of 
E-PRTR  data  is  good  and  improving.  Additional  data  context  would  help  reach  a 
wider public audience.  

  The  E-PRTR  performed  well  on  efficiency.  Most  data  providers  stated  that  minimal 
effort was needed to meet the additional reporting requirements. Data managers stated 
that  such  effort  was  proportionate  to  the  broad  benefits  provided  by  public  data 
availability.  

  While consistent in itself, there were some concerns on coherence with data reported 
under  related  environmental  legislation,  such  as  the  Industrial  Emissions  Directive 
(IED)3. Initiatives are under way to further streamline this reporting. 

  The  E-PRTR  is  still  relevant,  as  it  provides  a  detailed  dataset  that  the  public  can 
easily  access.  This  contributes  greatly  to  transparency  and  public  participation  in 
environmental decision-making.   

  There  is  added  value  beyond  the  requirements  of  the  Kiev  Protocol  by  ensuring 
consistent  implementation  across  Member  States.  This  cross-border  consistency  is 
valued by users, as it provides transparency on the pollutant emissions from industrial 
activities. This in turn adds value for policy-makers, industry and the general public. 

1 There is also data for Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Serbia 
2 https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/PRTR_Protocol_e.pdf. 
3  Directive  2010/75/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24 November  2010  on  industrial 
emissions http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1489681035236&uri=CELEX:32010L0075 

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There was no obvious need for major improvement to the existing Regulation, although there 
is potential refinement as follows: 

  while Member States are converging on consistent interpretation, further gains would 

come from updating the existing EU-level guidance 

  gains in efficiency and coherence would flow from further harmonisation with closely 

 

related environmental reporting 
there appears to be limited value in the triennial obligation on Member States to report 
on E-PRTR implementation, which suggests scope for simplification. 

  providing  more  contextual  data  would  improve  the  E-PRTR's  effectiveness  as  a 

comprehensive source of environmental information. 

The  evaluation  concludes  that  the  E-PRTR  Regulation  is  an  important  instrument  in  the 
European Union’s environmental acquis and is fit for purpose. 

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