Article 1 Subject matter and purpose
1. This Directive establishes a legal framework for the environmentally safe geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to contribute to the fight against climate change. 2. The purpose of environmentally safe geological storage of CO 2 is permanent containment of CO 2 in such a way as to prevent and, where this is not possible, eliminate as far as possible negative effects and any risk to the environment and human health.
Article 2 Scope and prohibition
1. This Directive shall apply to the geological storage of CO 2 in the territory of the Member States, their exclusive economic zones and on their continental shelves within the meaning of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). 2. This Directive shall not apply to geological storage of CO 2 , with a total intended storage below 100 kilotonnes, undertaken for research, development or testing of new products and processes. 3. The storage of CO 2 in a storage site with a storage complex extending beyond the area referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be permitted. 4. The storage of CO 2 in the water column shall not be permitted.
Article 3 Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive the following definitions shall apply: 1. ‘geological storage of CO 2 ’ means injection accompanied by storage of CO 2 streams in underground geological formations; 2. ‘water column’ means the vertically continuous mass of water from the surface to the bottom sediments of a water body; 3. ‘storage site’ means a defined volume area within a geological formation used for the geological storage of CO 2 and associated surface and injection facilities; 4. ‘geological formation’ means a lithostratigraphical subdivision within which distinct rock layers can be found and mapped; 5. ‘leakage’ means any release of CO 2 from the storage complex; 6. ‘storage complex’ means the storage site and surrounding geological domain which can have an effect on overall storage integrity and security; that is, secondary containment formations; 7. ‘hydraulic unit’ means a hydraulically connected pore space where pressure communication can be measured by technical means and which is bordered by flow barriers, such as faults, salt domes, lithological boundaries, or by the wedging out or outcropping of the formation; 8. ‘exploration’ means the assessment of potential storage complexes for the purposes of geologically storing CO 2 by means of activities intruding into the subsurface such as drilling to obtain geological information about strata in the potential storage complex and, as appropriate, carrying out injection tests in order to characterise the storage site; 9. ‘exploration permit’ means a written and reasoned decision authorising exploration, and specifying the conditions under which it may take place, issued by the competent authority pursuant to the requirements of this Directive; 10. ‘operator’ means any natural or legal, private or public person who operates or controls the storage site or to whom decisive economic power over the technical functioning of the storage site has been delegated according to national legislation; 11. ‘storage permit’ means a written and reasoned decision or decisions authorising the geological storage of CO 2 in a storage site by the operator, and specifying the conditions under which it may take place, issued by the competent authority pursuant to the requirements of this Directive; 12. ‘substantial change’ means any change not provided for in the storage permit, which may have significant effects on the environment or human health; 13. ‘CO 2 stream’ means a flow of substances that results from CO 2 capture processes; 14. ‘waste’ means the substances defined as waste in Article 1(1)(a) of Directive 2006/12/EC; 15. ‘CO 2 plume’ means the dispersing volume of CO 2 in the geological formation; 16. ‘migration’ means the movement of CO 2 within the storage complex; 17. ‘significant irregularity’ means any irregularity in the injection or storage operations or in the condition of the storage complex itself, which implies the risk of a leakage or risk to the environment or human health; 18. ‘significant risk’ means a combination of a probability of occurrence of damage and a magnitude of damage that cannot be disregarded without calling into question the purpose of this Directive for the storage site concerned; 19. ‘corrective measures’ means any measures taken to correct significant irregularities or to close leakages in order to prevent or stop the release of CO 2 from the storage complex; 20. ‘closure’ of a storage site means the definitive cessation of CO 2 injection into that storage site; 21. ‘post-closure’ means the period after the closure of a storage site, including the period after the transfer of responsibility to the competent authority; 22. ‘transport network’ means the network of pipelines, including associated booster stations, for the transport of CO 2 to the storage site.
Article 4 Selection of storage sites
1. Member States shall retain the right to determine the areas from which storage sites may be selected pursuant to the requirements of this Directive. This includes the right of Member States not to allow for any storage in parts or in the whole of their territory. 2. Member States which intend to allow geological storage of CO 2 in their territory shall undertake an assessment of the storage capacity available in parts or in the whole of their territory, including by allowing exploration pursuant to Article 5. The Commission may organise an exchange of information and best practices between those Member States, in the context of the exchange of information provided for in Article 27. 3. The suitability of a geological formation for use as a storage site shall be determined through a characterisation and assessment of the potential storage complex and surrounding area pursuant to the criteria specified in Annex I. 4. A geological formation shall only be selected as a storage site, if under the proposed conditions of use there is no significant risk of leakage, and if no significant environmental or health risks exist.
Article 5 Exploration permits
1. Where Member States determine that exploration is required to generate the information necessary for selection of storage sites pursuant to Article 4, they shall ensure that no such exploration takes place without an exploration permit. Where appropriate, monitoring of injection tests may be included in the exploration permit. 2. Member States shall ensure that the procedures for the granting of exploration permits are open to all entities possessing the necessary capacities and that the permits are granted or refused on the basis of objective, published and non-discriminatory criteria. 3. The duration of a permit shall not exceed the period necessary to carry out the exploration for which it is granted. However, the Member States may extend the validity of the permit where the stipulated duration is insufficient to complete the exploration concerned and where the exploration has been performed in accordance with the permit. Exploration permits shall be granted in respect of a limited volume area. 4. The holder of an exploration permit shall have the sole right to explore the potential CO 2 storage complex. Member States shall ensure that no conflicting uses of the complex are permitted during the period of validity of the permit.
Article 6 Storage permits
1. Member States shall ensure that no storage site is operated without a storage permit, that there shall be only one operator for each storage site, and that no conflicting uses are permitted on the site. 2. Member States shall ensure that the procedures for the granting of storage permits are open to all entities possessing the necessary capacities and that the permits are granted on the basis of objective, published and transparent criteria. 3. Without prejudice to the requirements of this Directive, priority for the granting of a storage permit for a particular site shall be given to the holder of the exploration permit for that site, provided that the exploration of that site is completed, that any condition set in the exploration permit has been complied with, and that the application for a storage permit is made during the period of validity of the exploration permit. Member States shall ensure that no conflicting uses of the complex are allowed during the permit procedure.
Article 7 Applications for storage permits
Applications to the competent authority for storage permits shall include at least the following information: 1. the name and address of the potential operator; 2. proof of the technical competence of the potential operator; 3. the characterisation of the storage site and storage complex and an assessment of the expected security of the storage pursuant to Article 4(3) and (4); 4. the total quantity of CO 2 to be injected and stored, as well as the prospective sources and transport methods, the composition of CO 2 streams, the injection rates and pressures, and the location of injection facilities; 5. a description of measures to prevent significant irregularities; 6. a proposed monitoring plan pursuant to Article 13(2); 7. a proposed corrective measures plan pursuant to Article 16(2); 8. a proposed provisional post-closure plan pursuant to Article 17(3); 9. the information provided pursuant to Article 5 of Directive 85/337/EEC; 10. proof that the financial security or other equivalent provision as required under Article 19 will be valid and effective before commencement of the injection.
Article 8 Conditions for storage permits
The competent authority shall issue a storage permit only if the following conditions are met: 1. the competent authority, on the basis of the application submitted pursuant to Article 7 and of any other relevant information, is satisfied that: (a) all relevant requirements of this Directive and of other relevant Community legislation are met; (b) the operator is financially sound and technically competent and reliable to operate and control the site and that professional and technical development and training of the operator and all staff are provided; (c) in the case of more than one storage site in the same hydraulic unit, the potential pressure interactions are such that both sites can simultaneously meet the requirements of this Directive; 1. the competent authority, on the basis of the application submitted pursuant to Article 7 and of any other relevant information, is satisfied that: (a) all relevant requirements of this Directive and of other relevant Community legislation are met; (b) the operator is financially sound and technically competent and reliable to operate and control the site and that professional and technical development and training of the operator and all staff are provided; (c) in the case of more than one storage site in the same hydraulic unit, the potential pressure interactions are such that both sites can simultaneously meet the requirements of this Directive; 2. the competent authority has considered any opinion of the Commission on the draft permit issued pursuant to Article 10.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL General background Many legal acts of the Union were adopted without an expiry date. These acts remain formally in force even if their legal effects have been exhausted. Eliminating acts that are no longer applicable or relevant permits a more user-friendly presentation and more efficient and time-saving scrutiny of tools that facilitate access to Union law: CELEX, EUR-Lex and the Directory of Legislation in force (e.g. search results would no longer show obsolete acts alongside those which are applicable). Improving the transparency of Union law is an essential element of the Better Regulation agenda that the Union Institutions are pursuing also under the new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making 1 . The 2014 REFIT Communication 2 announced that the Commission will prepare repeals of legislation, inter alia, in relation to standardized reporting in the area of environment. Moreover, t he 2015 Better Regulation Communication 3 called for a broad review of reporting in several policy areas including the environment. Given these links, the repeal of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment ("Directive 91/692/EEC") is now being addressed. This is also linked to a wider Fitness Check for environmental monitoring and reporting. That Fitness Check is now underway, as set out in the Commission's Work Programme 2016 4 , which mentioned the proposal for repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and the related water questionnaire Decision 95/337/EEC under repeal initiatives in Annex V. The repeal package consists of four proposed initiatives related to the repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and Decision 95/337/EEC: 1. A Communication which declares the obsolescence of 11 implementing acts adopted by the Commission to establish questionnaires for environmental reporting including Decision 95/337/EEC. 2. Two proposals for Commission Decisions repealing 2 of the implementing decisions (via comitology procedures), namely Commission Decision 2011/92/EU of 10 February 2011 5 and Commission Decision 2010/681/EU of 9 November 2010 6 that have exhausted their legal effect, but for procedural reasons will be repealed via a later comitology procedure by the Commission. 3. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision, which will repeal and amend provisions of the 6 legal acts referring to Directive 91/692/EEC. To prepare these initiatives, the Commission has undertaken an analysis and looked into the consequences of keeping or repealing the various obligations. The result of this work is summarised below and is presented in more detail in a supporting study which is published separately. 7 As the aim is to repeal obsolete provisions and legal acts, it is considered that there is no need for a formal impact assessment to be carried out. It is important to highlight that there are no real economic benefits expected to be harvested as a result of the repeal exercise. Main benefits will be mainly linked to have a clearer set of rules on reporting resulting from this clean-up exercise. Shortcomings of Directive 91/692/EEC The Directive 91/692/EEC (SRD) aimed at streamlining the reporting obligations of all EU environmental legislation in effect at the time of its adoption. However in practice, not all environmental reporting requirements were harmonized by Directive 91/692/EEC. For instance Directives 91/271/EEC 8 and 91/676/EEC 9 were excluded from scope. It can be also observed that the implementation of the Directive was burdensome and ineffective from the outset. One main problem was that the directive was adopted prior to the widespread use of information technology (IT). Furthermore, many of the individual instruments for which Directive 91/692/EEC set out reporting requirements were subsequently replaced by instruments which disregarded its reporting provisions. For example, the Directive 2000/60/EC 10 repealed seven pieces of water legislation and hence the related water questionnaire 95/337/EEC adopted under Directive 91/692/EEC became redundant. Instruments such as the Directive 2000/60/EC and the Directive 2010/75/EC 11 (and its predecessor, Directive 96/61/EC) 12 introduced independent reporting obligations. With the successful development of the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) Reportnet and sectoral initiatives on streamlining of reporting (e.g. the Water Information System for Europe), the need and effectiveness of a horizontal instrument on reporting was increasingly put into question. Finally, the adoption of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and the related development of the Shared Environment Information System (SEIS), 13 introduced a more modern and effective, horizontal approach to information management and reporting related to EU environmental policy. The Commission concluded at the time that "[…] a key step in implementing SEIS, and especially to trigger the expected simplification benefits, will be to modernise the legal provisions relating to the way in which information required by environmental legislation is made available. It is expected that this will be done by revising the Standardised Reporting directive 91/692/EC, which needs to be updated and brought into line with the SEIS principles. To this end, the Commission intends to come forward with a relevant legislative proposal in 2008, including a repeal of outdated provisions in the current standardised reporting directive." 14 In the end, the Commission decided not to come forward with a new legal instrument on reporting but to pursue this agenda through a non-legal approach (see EU Shared Environmental Information System-Implementation Outlook 15 ) combined with coordinated action in the different environmental policy areas (such as water, air, nature, etc.). Summary of current scope and relevance of Directive 91/692/EEC Directive 91/692/EEC refers to 28 environmental acts covered by its provisions. A number of further acts make use of Directive 91/692/EEC. Currently due to subsequent repeals of these acts (see overview in table 2), 1 regulation, 9 directives (see overview in table 1) (two directives remain subject to its provisions, namely Directive 86/278/EEC and Directive 87/217/EEC) and 23 decisions remain in force that still make reference to those provisions (see overview in table 3). In conclusion, the majority of the original obligations set out in Directive 91/692/EEC have become obsolete and have no legal effect anymore As a result, the proposal for a repeal has been made to ensure legal certainty, improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and ensure that EU legislation is "fit for purpose" in line with the Better Regulation agenda. Proposed actions to repeal Directive 91/692/EEC and related acts The first action is a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council removing requirements for standardized reporting. It is also proposed that references to the old comitology rules are replaced by Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers as required by Article 13 thereof on transitional measures. The second action aims at adoption of a Communication on declaring obsolescence of the implementing Decisions under Directive 91/692/EEC still in force. The Communication identifies the Decisions that have become obsolete and whose legal basis was repealed. The third action will aim to repeal two implementing decisions, that still have a valid legal basis but in the meantime have exhausted their legal effects. 16 As part of the preparatory analysis, several options were considered to ensure an effective repeal whilst maintaning the legal effects, where necessary. The findings of this analysis are presented in the supporting study 17 that recommends the complete repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC provisions and removal of obsolete provisions, while making reference to new rules on implementing acts. This option consisting of the above-mentioned three actions was identified as most effective in cutting red tape and enhancing legal clarity. Pre-existing directives referred to by Directive 91/692/EEC As noted above, only Directives 86/278/EEC and 87/217/EEC (see overview in table 1) remain from the 28 instruments (see overview in table 2) originally mentioned in Directive 91/692/EEC. It is proposed to maintain the reporting provisions of Directives 86/278/EEC, while aligning it with the new rules for implementing acts established by the TFEU. The reporting requirements of Directive 87/217/EEC are not being used, mainly due to discontinuation of the use of asbestos across the EU Member States as a consequence of the phasing out of the production and use of raw asbestos and of products containing asbestos in the EU, through REACH (1907/2006/EC).
Revised version (Article 8 Conditions for storage permits):
The competent authority shall issue a storage permit only if the following conditions are met: 1. the competent authority, on the basis of the application submitted pursuant to Article 7 and of any other relevant information, is satisfied that: (a) all relevant requirements of this Directive and of other relevant Community legislation are met; (b) the operator is financially sound and technically competent and reliable to operate and control the site and that professional and technical development and training of the operator and all staff are provided; (c) in the case of more than one storage site in the same hydraulic unit, the potential pressure interactions are such that both sites can simultaneously meet the requirements of this Directive; 2. the competent authority has considered any opinion of the Commission on the draft permit issued pursuant to Article 10.
Article 9 Contents of storage permits
The permit shall contain at least the following: 1. the name and address of the operator; 2. the precise location and delimitation of the storage site and storage complex, and information concerning the hydraulic unit; 3. the requirements for storage operation, the total quantity of CO 2 authorised to be geologically stored, the reservoir pressure limits, and the maximum injection rates and pressures; 4. the requirements for the composition of the CO 2 stream and the CO 2 stream acceptance procedure pursuant to Article 12, and, if necessary, further requirements for injection and storage in particular to prevent significant irregularities; 5. the approved monitoring plan, the obligation to implement the plan and requirements for updating it pursuant to Article 13 as well as the reporting requirements pursuant to Article 14; 6. the requirement to notify the competent authority in the event of leakages or significant irregularities, the approved corrective measures plan and the obligation to implement the corrective measures plan in the event of leakages or significant irregularities pursuant to Article 16; 7. the conditions for closure and the approved provisional post-closure plan referred to in Article 17; 8. any provisions on changes, review, updating and withdrawal of the storage permit pursuant to Article 11; 9. the requirement to establish and maintain the financial security or any other equivalent pursuant to Article 19.
Article 10 Commission review of draft storage permits
1. Member States shall make the permit applications available to the Commission within one month after receipt. They shall also make available other related material that shall be taken into account by the competent authority when it seeks to make a decision on the award of a storage permit. They shall inform the Commission of all draft storage permits and any other material taken into consideration for the adoption of the draft decision. Within four months after receipt of the draft storage permit, the Commission may issue a non-binding opinion on it. If the Commission decides not to issue an opinion, it shall inform the Member State within one month of submission of the draft permit and state its reasons. 2. The competent authority shall notify the final decision to the Commission, and where it departs from the Commission opinion it shall state its reasons.
Article 11 Changes, review, update and withdrawal of storage permits
1. The operator shall inform the competent authority of any changes planned in the operation of the storage site, including changes concerning the operator. Where appropriate, the competent authority shall update the storage permit or the permit conditions. 2. Member States shall ensure that no substantial change is implemented without a new or updated storage permit issued in accordance with this Directive. Annex II, point 13, first indent of Directive 85/337/EEC shall apply in such cases. 3. The competent authority shall review and where necessary update or, as a last resort, withdraw the storage permit: (a) if it has been notified or made aware of any leakages or significant irregularities pursuant to Article 16(1); (b) if the reports submitted pursuant to Article 14 or the environmental inspections carried out pursuant to Article 15 show non-compliance with permit conditions or risks of leakages or significant irregularities; (c) if it is aware of any other failure by the operator to meet the permit conditions; (d) if it appears necessary on the basis of the latest scientific findings and technological progress; or (e) without prejudice to points (a) to (d), five years after issuing the permit and every 10 years thereafter. 4. After a permit has been withdrawn pursuant to paragraph 3, the competent authority shall either issue a new storage permit or close the storage site pursuant to Article 17(1)(c). Until a new storage permit has been issued, the competent authority shall temporarily take over all legal obligations relating to acceptance criteria where the competent authority decides to continue CO 2 injections, monitoring and corrective measures pursuant to the requirements laid down in this Directive, the surrender of allowances in cases of leakage pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC and preventive and remedial action pursuant to Articles 5(1) and 6(1) of Directive 2004/35/EC. The competent authority shall recover any costs incurred from the former operator, including by drawing on the financial security referred to in Article 19. In case of closure of the storage site pursuant to Article 17(1)(c), Article 17(4) shall apply.
Article 12 CO 2 stream acceptance criteria and procedure
1. A CO 2 stream shall consist overwhelmingly of carbon dioxide. To this end, no waste or other matter may be added for the purpose of disposing of that waste or other matter. However, a CO 2 stream may contain incidental associated substances from the source, capture or injection process and trace substances added to assist in monitoring and verifying CO 2 migration. Concentrations of all incidental and added substances shall be below levels that would: (a) adversely affect the integrity of the storage site or the relevant transport infrastructure; (b) pose a significant risk to the environment or human health; or (c) breach the requirements of applicable Community legislation. 2. The Commission shall, if appropriate, adopt guidelines to help identify the conditions applicable on a case by case basis for respecting the criteria laid down in paragraph 1. 3. Member States shall ensure that the operator: (a) accepts and injects CO 2 streams only if an analysis of the composition, including corrosive substances, of the streams and a risk assessment have been carried out, and if the risk assessment has shown that the contamination levels are in line with the conditions referred to in paragraph 1; (b) keeps a register of the quantities and properties of the CO 2 streams delivered and injected, including the composition of those streams.
Article 13 Monitoring
1. Member States shall ensure that the operator carries out monitoring of the injection facilities, the storage complex (including where possible the CO 2 plume), and where appropriate the surrounding environment for the purpose of: (a) comparison between the actual and modelled behaviour of CO 2 and formation water, in the storage site; (b) detecting significant irregularities; (c) detecting migration of CO 2 ; (d) detecting leakage of CO 2 ; (e) detecting significant adverse effects for the surrounding environment, including in particular on drinking water, for human populations, or for users of the surrounding biosphere; (f) assessing the effectiveness of any corrective measures taken pursuant to Article 16; (g) updating the assessment of the safety and integrity of the storage complex in the short and long term, including the assessment of whether the stored CO 2 will be completely and permanently contained. 2. The monitoring shall be based on a monitoring plan designed by the operator pursuant to the requirements laid down in Annex II, including details on the monitoring in accordance with the guidelines established pursuant to Article 14 and Article 23(2) of Directive 2003/87/EC, submitted to and approved by the competent authority pursuant to Article 7(6) and Article 9(5) of this Directive. The plan shall be updated pursuant to the requirements laid down in Annex II and in any case every five years to take account of changes to the assessed risk of leakage, changes to the assessed risks to the environment and human health, new scientific knowledge, and improvements in best available technology. Updated plans shall be re-submitted for approval to the competent authority.
Article 14 Reporting by the operator
At a frequency to be determined by the competent authority, and in any event at least once a year, the operator shall submit to the competent authority: 1. all results of the monitoring pursuant to Article 13 in the reporting period, including information on the monitoring technology employed; 2. the quantities and properties of the CO 2 streams delivered and injected, including composition of those streams, in the reporting period, registered pursuant to Article 12(3)(b); 3. proof of the putting in place and maintenance of the financial security pursuant to Article 19 and Article 9(9); 4. any other information the competent authority considers relevant for the purposes of assessing compliance with storage permit conditions and increasing the knowledge of CO 2 behaviour in the storage site.
Article 15 Inspections
1. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities organise a system of routine and non-routine inspections of all storage complexes within the scope of this Directive for the purposes of checking and promoting compliance with the requirements of the Directive and of monitoring the effects on the environment and on human health. 2. Inspections should include activities such as visits of the surface installations, including the injection facilities, assessing the injection and monitoring operations carried out by the operator, and checking all relevant records kept by the operator. 3. Routine inspections shall be carried out at least once a year until three years after closure and every five years until transfer of responsibility to the competent authority has occurred. They shall examine the relevant injection and monitoring facilities as well as the full range of relevant effects from the storage complex on the environment and on human health. 4. Non-routine inspections shall be carried out: (a) if the competent authority has been notified or made aware of leakages or significant irregularities pursuant to Article 16(1); (b) if the reports pursuant to Article 14 have shown insufficient compliance with the permit conditions; (c) to investigate serious complaints related to the environment or human health; (d) in other situations where the competent authority considers this appropriate. 5. Following each inspection, the competent authority shall prepare a report on the results of the inspection. The report shall evaluate compliance with the requirements of this Directive and indicate whether or not further action is necessary. The report shall be communicated to the operator concerned and shall be publicly available in accordance with relevant Community legislation within two months of the inspection.
Article 16 Measures in case of leakages or significant irregularities
1. Member States shall ensure that in the event of leakages or significant irregularities, the operator immediately notifies the competent authority, and takes the necessary corrective measures, including measures related to the protection of human health. In cases of leakages and significant irregularities which imply the risk of leakage, the operator shall also notify the competent authority pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC. 2. The corrective measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be taken as a minimum on the basis of a corrective measures plan submitted to and approved by the competent authority pursuant to Article 7(7) and Article 9(6). 3. The competent authority may at any time require the operator to take the necessary corrective measures, as well as measures related to the protection of human health. These may be additional to or different from those laid out in the corrective measures plan. The competent authority may also at any time take corrective measures itself. 4. If the operator fails to take the necessary corrective measures, the competent authority shall take the necessary corrective measures itself. 5. The competent authority shall recover the costs incurred in relation to the measures referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 from the operator, including by drawing on the financial security pursuant to Article 19.
Article 17 Closure and post-closure obligations
1. A storage site shall be closed: (a) if the relevant conditions stated in the permit have been met; (b) at the substantiated request of the operator, after authorisation of the competent authority; or (c) if the competent authority so decides after the withdrawal of a storage permit pursuant to Article 11(3). 2. After a storage site has been closed pursuant to points (a) or (b) of paragraph 1, the operator remains responsible for monitoring, reporting and corrective measures, pursuant to the requirements laid down in this Directive, and for all obligations relating to the surrender of allowances in case of leakages pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC and preventive and remedial actions pursuant to Articles 5 to 8 of Directive 2004/35/EC until the responsibility for the storage site is transferred to the competent authority pursuant to Article 18(1) to (5) of this Directive. The operator shall also be responsible for sealing the storage site and removing the injection facilities. 3. The obligations referred to in paragraph 2 shall be fulfilled on the basis of a post-closure plan designed by the operator based on best practice and in accordance with the requirements laid down in Annex II. A provisional post-closure plan shall be submitted to and approved by the competent authority pursuant to Article 7(8) and Article 9(7). Prior to the closure of a storage site pursuant to points (a) or (b) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the provisional post-closure plan shall be: (a) updated as necessary, taking account of risk analysis, best practice and technological improvements; (b) submitted to the competent authority for its approval; and (c) approved by the competent authority as the definitive post-closure plan. 4. After a storage site has been closed pursuant to paragraph 1(c), the competent authority shall be responsible for monitoring and corrective measures pursuant to the requirements laid down in this Directive and for all obligations relating to the surrender of allowances in case of leakages pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC and preventive and remedial action pursuant to Articles 5(1) and 6(1) of Directive 2004/35/EC. The post-closure requirements pursuant to this Directive shall be fulfilled by the competent authority on the basis of the provisional post-closure plan referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, which shall be updated as necessary. 5. The competent authority shall recover from the operator the costs incurred in relation to the measures referred to in paragraph 4, including by drawing on the financial security pursuant to Article 19.
Article 18 Transfer of responsibility
1. Where a storage site has been closed pursuant to points (a) or (b) of Article 17(1), all legal obligations relating to monitoring and corrective measures pursuant to the requirements laid down in this Directive, the surrender of allowances in the event of leakages pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC and preventive and remedial action pursuant to Articles 5(1) and 6(1) of Directive 2004/35/EC, shall be transferred to the competent authority on its own initiative or upon request from the operator, if the following conditions are met: (a) all available evidence indicates that the stored CO 2 will be completely and permanently contained; (b) a minimum period, to be determined by the competent authority has elapsed. This minimum period shall be no shorter than 20 years, unless the competent authority is convinced that the criterion referred to in point (a) is complied with before the end of that period; (c) the financial obligations referred to in Article 20 have been fulfilled; (d) the site has been sealed and the injection facilities have been removed. 2. The operator shall prepare a report documenting that the condition referred to in paragraph 1(a) has been met and shall submit it to the competent authority for the latter to approve the transfer of responsibility. This report shall demonstrate, at least: (a) the conformity of the actual behaviour of the injected CO 2 with the modelled behaviour; (b) the absence of any detectable leakage; (c) that the storage site is evolving towards a situation of long-term stability. The Commission may adopt guidelines on the assessment of the matters referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph, highlighting therein any implications for the technical criteria relevant to the determination of the minimum periods referred to in paragraph 1(b). 3. Where the competent authority is satisfied that the conditions referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 are met, it shall prepare a draft decision of approval of the transfer of responsibility. The draft decision shall specify the method for determining that the conditions referred to in paragraph 1(d) have been met as well as any updated requirements for the sealing of the storage site and for the removal of injection facilities. If the competent authority considers that the conditions referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 are not met, it shall inform the operator of its reasons. 4. Member States shall make the reports referred to in paragraph 2 available to the Commission within one month after receipt. They shall also make available other related material that shall be taken into account by the competent authority when it prepares a draft decision of approval on the transfer of responsibility. They shall inform the Commission of all draft decisions of approval prepared by the competent authority pursuant to paragraph 3, including any other material taken into consideration for arriving at its conclusion. Within four months after receipt of the draft decision of approval, the Commission may issue a non-binding opinion on it. If the Commission decides not to issue an opinion, it shall inform the Member State within one month of submission of the draft decision of approval and state its reasons. 5. Where the competent authority is satisfied that the conditions referred to in points (a) to (d) of paragraph 1 are complied with, it shall adopt the final decision and notify that decision to the operator. The competent authority shall also notify the final decision to the Commission, and where it departs from the Commission opinion it shall state its reasons. 6. After the transfer of responsibility, routine inspections provided for in Article 15(3) shall cease and monitoring may be reduced to a level which allows for detection of leakages or significant irregularities. If any leakages or significant irregularities are detected, monitoring shall be intensified as required to assess the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of corrective measures. 7. In cases where there has been fault on the part of the operator, including cases of deficient data, concealment of relevant information, negligence, wilful deceit or a failure to exercise due diligence, the competent authority shall recover from the former operator the costs incurred after the transfer of responsibility has taken place. Without prejudice to Article 20, there shall be no further recovery of costs after the transfer of responsibility. 8. Where a storage site has been closed pursuant to Article 17(1)(c), transfer of responsibility shall be deemed to take place if and when all available evidence indicates that the stored CO 2 will be completely and permanently contained, and after the site has been sealed and the injection facilities have been removed.
Article 19 Financial security
1. Member States shall ensure that proof that adequate provisions can be established, by way of financial security or any other equivalent, on the basis of arrangements to be decided by the Member States, is presented by the potential operator as part of the application for a storage permit. This is in order to ensure that all obligations arising under the permit issued pursuant to this Directive, including closure and post-closure requirements, as well as any obligations arising from inclusion of the storage site under Directive 2003/87/EC, can be met. This financial security shall be valid and effective before commencement of injection. 2. The financial security shall be periodically adjusted to take account of changes to the assessed risk of leakage and the estimated costs of all obligations arising under the permit issued pursuant to this Directive as well as any obligations arising from inclusion of the storage site under Directive 2003/87/EC. 3. The financial security or any other equivalent referred to in paragraph 1 shall remain valid and effective: (a) after a storage site has been closed pursuant to points (a) or (b) of Article 17(1), until the responsibility for the storage site is transferred to the competent authority pursuant to Article 18(1) to (5); (b) after the withdrawal of a storage permit pursuant to Article 11(3): (i) until a new storage permit has been issued; (ii) where the site is closed pursuant to Article 17(1)(c), until the transfer of responsibility pursuant to Article 18(8), provided the financial obligations referred to in Article 20 have been fulfilled. (b) after the withdrawal of a storage permit pursuant to Article 11(3): (i) until a new storage permit has been issued; (ii) where the site is closed pursuant to Article 17(1)(c), until the transfer of responsibility pursuant to Article 18(8), provided the financial obligations referred to in Article 20 have been fulfilled.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL General background Many legal acts of the Union were adopted without an expiry date. These acts remain formally in force even if their legal effects have been exhausted. Eliminating acts that are no longer applicable or relevant permits a more user-friendly presentation and more efficient and time-saving scrutiny of tools that facilitate access to Union law: CELEX, EUR-Lex and the Directory of Legislation in force (e.g. search results would no longer show obsolete acts alongside those which are applicable). Improving the transparency of Union law is an essential element of the Better Regulation agenda that the Union Institutions are pursuing also under the new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making 1 . The 2014 REFIT Communication 2 announced that the Commission will prepare repeals of legislation, inter alia, in relation to standardized reporting in the area of environment. Moreover, t he 2015 Better Regulation Communication 3 called for a broad review of reporting in several policy areas including the environment. Given these links, the repeal of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment ("Directive 91/692/EEC") is now being addressed. This is also linked to a wider Fitness Check for environmental monitoring and reporting. That Fitness Check is now underway, as set out in the Commission's Work Programme 2016 4 , which mentioned the proposal for repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and the related water questionnaire Decision 95/337/EEC under repeal initiatives in Annex V. The repeal package consists of four proposed initiatives related to the repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and Decision 95/337/EEC: 1. A Communication which declares the obsolescence of 11 implementing acts adopted by the Commission to establish questionnaires for environmental reporting including Decision 95/337/EEC. 2. Two proposals for Commission Decisions repealing 2 of the implementing decisions (via comitology procedures), namely Commission Decision 2011/92/EU of 10 February 2011 5 and Commission Decision 2010/681/EU of 9 November 2010 6 that have exhausted their legal effect, but for procedural reasons will be repealed via a later comitology procedure by the Commission. 3. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision, which will repeal and amend provisions of the 6 legal acts referring to Directive 91/692/EEC. To prepare these initiatives, the Commission has undertaken an analysis and looked into the consequences of keeping or repealing the various obligations. The result of this work is summarised below and is presented in more detail in a supporting study which is published separately. 7 As the aim is to repeal obsolete provisions and legal acts, it is considered that there is no need for a formal impact assessment to be carried out. It is important to highlight that there are no real economic benefits expected to be harvested as a result of the repeal exercise. Main benefits will be mainly linked to have a clearer set of rules on reporting resulting from this clean-up exercise. Shortcomings of Directive 91/692/EEC The Directive 91/692/EEC (SRD) aimed at streamlining the reporting obligations of all EU environmental legislation in effect at the time of its adoption. However in practice, not all environmental reporting requirements were harmonized by Directive 91/692/EEC. For instance Directives 91/271/EEC 8 and 91/676/EEC 9 were excluded from scope. It can be also observed that the implementation of the Directive was burdensome and ineffective from the outset. One main problem was that the directive was adopted prior to the widespread use of information technology (IT). Furthermore, many of the individual instruments for which Directive 91/692/EEC set out reporting requirements were subsequently replaced by instruments which disregarded its reporting provisions. For example, the Directive 2000/60/EC 10 repealed seven pieces of water legislation and hence the related water questionnaire 95/337/EEC adopted under Directive 91/692/EEC became redundant. Instruments such as the Directive 2000/60/EC and the Directive 2010/75/EC 11 (and its predecessor, Directive 96/61/EC) 12 introduced independent reporting obligations. With the successful development of the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) Reportnet and sectoral initiatives on streamlining of reporting (e.g. the Water Information System for Europe), the need and effectiveness of a horizontal instrument on reporting was increasingly put into question. Finally, the adoption of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and the related development of the Shared Environment Information System (SEIS), 13 introduced a more modern and effective, horizontal approach to information management and reporting related to EU environmental policy. The Commission concluded at the time that "[…] a key step in implementing SEIS, and especially to trigger the expected simplification benefits, will be to modernise the legal provisions relating to the way in which information required by environmental legislation is made available. It is expected that this will be done by revising the Standardised Reporting directive 91/692/EC, which needs to be updated and brought into line with the SEIS principles. To this end, the Commission intends to come forward with a relevant legislative proposal in 2008, including a repeal of outdated provisions in the current standardised reporting directive." 14 In the end, the Commission decided not to come forward with a new legal instrument on reporting but to pursue this agenda through a non-legal approach (see EU Shared Environmental Information System-Implementation Outlook 15 ) combined with coordinated action in the different environmental policy areas (such as water, air, nature, etc.). Summary of current scope and relevance of Directive 91/692/EEC Directive 91/692/EEC refers to 28 environmental acts covered by its provisions. A number of further acts make use of Directive 91/692/EEC. Currently due to subsequent repeals of these acts (see overview in table 2), 1 regulation, 9 directives (see overview in table 1) (two directives remain subject to its provisions, namely Directive 86/278/EEC and Directive 87/217/EEC) and 23 decisions remain in force that still make reference to those provisions (see overview in table 3). In conclusion, the majority of the original obligations set out in Directive 91/692/EEC have become obsolete and have no legal effect anymore As a result, the proposal for a repeal has been made to ensure legal certainty, improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and ensure that EU legislation is "fit for purpose" in line with the Better Regulation agenda. Proposed actions to repeal Directive 91/692/EEC and related acts The first action is a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council removing requirements for standardized reporting. It is also proposed that references to the old comitology rules are replaced by Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers as required by Article 13 thereof on transitional measures. The second action aims at adoption of a Communication on declaring obsolescence of the implementing Decisions under Directive 91/692/EEC still in force. The Communication identifies the Decisions that have become obsolete and whose legal basis was repealed. The third action will aim to repeal two implementing decisions, that still have a valid legal basis but in the meantime have exhausted their legal effects. 16 As part of the preparatory analysis, several options were considered to ensure an effective repeal whilst maintaning the legal effects, where necessary. The findings of this analysis are presented in the supporting study 17 that recommends the complete repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC provisions and removal of obsolete provisions, while making reference to new rules on implementing acts. This option consisting of the above-mentioned three actions was identified as most effective in cutting red tape and enhancing legal clarity. Pre-existing directives referred to by Directive 91/692/EEC As noted above, only Directives 86/278/EEC and 87/217/EEC (see overview in table 1) remain from the 28 instruments (see overview in table 2) originally mentioned in Directive 91/692/EEC. It is proposed to maintain the reporting provisions of Directives 86/278/EEC, while aligning it with the new rules for implementing acts established by the TFEU. The reporting requirements of Directive 87/217/EEC are not being used, mainly due to discontinuation of the use of asbestos across the EU Member States as a consequence of the phasing out of the production and use of raw asbestos and of products containing asbestos in the EU, through REACH (1907/2006/EC).
Revised version (Article 19 Financial security):
1. Member States shall ensure that proof that adequate provisions can be established, by way of financial security or any other equivalent, on the basis of arrangements to be decided by the Member States, is presented by the potential operator as part of the application for a storage permit. This is in order to ensure that all obligations arising under the permit issued pursuant to this Directive, including closure and post-closure requirements, as well as any obligations arising from inclusion of the storage site under Directive 2003/87/EC, can be met. This financial security shall be valid and effective before commencement of injection. 2. The financial security shall be periodically adjusted to take account of changes to the assessed risk of leakage and the estimated costs of all obligations arising under the permit issued pursuant to this Directive as well as any obligations arising from inclusion of the storage site under Directive 2003/87/EC. 3. The financial security or any other equivalent referred to in paragraph 1 shall remain valid and effective: (a) after a storage site has been closed pursuant to points (a) or (b) of Article 17(1), until the responsibility for the storage site is transferred to the competent authority pursuant to Article 18(1) to (5); (b) after the withdrawal of a storage permit pursuant to Article 11(3): (i) until a new storage permit has been issued; (ii) where the site is closed pursuant to Article 17(1)(c), until the transfer of responsibility pursuant to Article 18(8), provided the financial obligations referred to in Article 20 have been fulfilled.
Article 20 Financial mechanism
1. Member States shall ensure that the operator, on the basis of arrangements to be decided by the Member States, makes a financial contribution available to the competent authority before the transfer of responsibility pursuant to Article 18 has taken place. The contribution from the operator shall take into account those criteria referred to in Annex I and elements relating to the history of storing CO 2 relevant to determining the post-transfer obligations, and cover at least the anticipated cost of monitoring for a period of 30 years. This financial contribution may be used to cover the costs borne by the competent authority after the transfer of responsibility to ensure that the CO 2 is completely and permanently contained in geological storage sites after the transfer of responsibility. 2. The Commission may adopt guidelines for the estimation of the costs referred to in paragraph 1 to be developed in consultation with Member States with a view to ensuring transparency and predictability for operators.
Article 21 Access to transport network and storage sites
1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that potential users are able to obtain access to transport networks and to storage sites for the purposes of geological storage of the produced and captured CO 2 , in accordance with paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. 2. The access referred to in paragraph 1 shall be provided in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner determined by the Member State. The Member State shall apply the objectives of fair and open access, taking into account: (a) the storage capacity which is or can reasonably be made available within the areas determined under Article 4, and the transport capacity which is or can reasonably be made available; (b) the proportion of its CO 2 reduction obligations pursuant to international legal instruments and to Community legislation that it intends to meet through capture and geological storage of CO 2 ; (c) the need to refuse access where there is an incompatibility of technical specifications which cannot be reasonably overcome; (d) the need to respect the duly substantiated reasonable needs of the owner or operator of the storage site or of the transport network and the interests of all other users of the storage or the network or relevant processing or handling facilities who may be affected. 3. Transport network operators and operators of storage sites may refuse access on the grounds of lack of capacity. Duly substantiated reasons shall be given for any refusal. 4. Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that the operator refusing access on the grounds of lack of capacity or a lack of connection makes any necessary enhancements as far as it is economic to do so or when a potential customer is willing to pay for them, provided this would not negatively impact on the environmental security of transport and geological storage of CO 2 .
Article 22 Dispute settlement
1. Member States shall ensure that they have in place dispute settlement arrangements, including an authority independent of the parties with access to all relevant information, to enable disputes relating to access to transport networks and to storage sites to be settled expeditiously, taking into account the criteria referred to in Article 21(2) and the number of parties which may be involved in negotiating such access. 2. In the event of cross-border disputes, the dispute settlement arrangements of the Member State having jurisdiction over the transport network or the storage site to which access has been refused shall be applied. Where, in cross-border disputes, more than one Member State covers the transport network or storage site concerned, the Member States concerned shall consult with a view to ensuring that this Directive is applied consistently.
Article 23 Competent authority
Member States shall establish or designate the competent authority or authorities responsible for fulfilling the duties established under this Directive. Where more than one competent authority is designated, Member States shall establish arrangements for the coordination of the work of those authorities undertaken pursuant to this Directive.
Article 24 Transboundary cooperation
In cases of transboundary transport of CO 2 , transboundary storage sites or transboundary storage complexes, the competent authorities of the Member States concerned shall jointly meet the requirements of this Directive and of other relevant Community legislation.
Article 25 Registers
1. The competent authority shall establish and maintain: (a) a register of the storage permits granted; and (b) a permanent register of all closed storage sites and surrounding storage complexes, including maps and sections of their spatial extent and available information relevant for assessing that the stored CO 2 will be completely and permanently contained. 2. The registers referred to in paragraph 1 shall be taken into consideration by the competent national authorities in relevant planning procedures and when permitting any activity that could affect or be affected by the geological storage of CO 2 in the registered storage sites.
Article 26 Information to the public
Member States shall make available to the public environmental information relating to the geological storage of CO 2 in accordance with the applicable Community legislation.
Article 27 Reporting by Member States
1. Every three years the Member States shall submit to the Commission a report on the implementation of this Directive, including the register referred to in Article 25(1)(b). The first report shall be sent to the Commission by 30 June 2011. The report shall be drawn up on the basis of a questionnaire or outline drafted by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6 of Directive 91/692/EEC. The questionnaire or outline shall be sent to Member States at least six months before the deadline for the submission of the report. 2. The Commission shall organise an exchange of information between the competent authorities of the Member States concerning the implementation of this Directive.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL General background Many legal acts of the Union were adopted without an expiry date. These acts remain formally in force even if their legal effects have been exhausted. Eliminating acts that are no longer applicable or relevant permits a more user-friendly presentation and more efficient and time-saving scrutiny of tools that facilitate access to Union law: CELEX, EUR-Lex and the Directory of Legislation in force (e.g. search results would no longer show obsolete acts alongside those which are applicable). Improving the transparency of Union law is an essential element of the Better Regulation agenda that the Union Institutions are pursuing also under the new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making 1 . The 2014 REFIT Communication 2 announced that the Commission will prepare repeals of legislation, inter alia, in relation to standardized reporting in the area of environment. Moreover, t he 2015 Better Regulation Communication 3 called for a broad review of reporting in several policy areas including the environment. Given these links, the repeal of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment ("Directive 91/692/EEC") is now being addressed. This is also linked to a wider Fitness Check for environmental monitoring and reporting. That Fitness Check is now underway, as set out in the Commission's Work Programme 2016 4 , which mentioned the proposal for repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and the related water questionnaire Decision 95/337/EEC under repeal initiatives in Annex V. The repeal package consists of four proposed initiatives related to the repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and Decision 95/337/EEC: 1. A Communication which declares the obsolescence of 11 implementing acts adopted by the Commission to establish questionnaires for environmental reporting including Decision 95/337/EEC. 2. Two proposals for Commission Decisions repealing 2 of the implementing decisions (via comitology procedures), namely Commission Decision 2011/92/EU of 10 February 2011 5 and Commission Decision 2010/681/EU of 9 November 2010 6 that have exhausted their legal effect, but for procedural reasons will be repealed via a later comitology procedure by the Commission. 3. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision, which will repeal and amend provisions of the 6 legal acts referring to Directive 91/692/EEC. To prepare these initiatives, the Commission has undertaken an analysis and looked into the consequences of keeping or repealing the various obligations. The result of this work is summarised below and is presented in more detail in a supporting study which is published separately. 7 As the aim is to repeal obsolete provisions and legal acts, it is considered that there is no need for a formal impact assessment to be carried out. It is important to highlight that there are no real economic benefits expected to be harvested as a result of the repeal exercise. Main benefits will be mainly linked to have a clearer set of rules on reporting resulting from this clean-up exercise. Shortcomings of Directive 91/692/EEC The Directive 91/692/EEC (SRD) aimed at streamlining the reporting obligations of all EU environmental legislation in effect at the time of its adoption. However in practice, not all environmental reporting requirements were harmonized by Directive 91/692/EEC. For instance Directives 91/271/EEC 8 and 91/676/EEC 9 were excluded from scope. It can be also observed that the implementation of the Directive was burdensome and ineffective from the outset. One main problem was that the directive was adopted prior to the widespread use of information technology (IT). Furthermore, many of the individual instruments for which Directive 91/692/EEC set out reporting requirements were subsequently replaced by instruments which disregarded its reporting provisions. For example, the Directive 2000/60/EC 10 repealed seven pieces of water legislation and hence the related water questionnaire 95/337/EEC adopted under Directive 91/692/EEC became redundant. Instruments such as the Directive 2000/60/EC and the Directive 2010/75/EC 11 (and its predecessor, Directive 96/61/EC) 12 introduced independent reporting obligations. With the successful development of the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) Reportnet and sectoral initiatives on streamlining of reporting (e.g. the Water Information System for Europe), the need and effectiveness of a horizontal instrument on reporting was increasingly put into question. Finally, the adoption of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and the related development of the Shared Environment Information System (SEIS), 13 introduced a more modern and effective, horizontal approach to information management and reporting related to EU environmental policy. The Commission concluded at the time that "[…] a key step in implementing SEIS, and especially to trigger the expected simplification benefits, will be to modernise the legal provisions relating to the way in which information required by environmental legislation is made available. It is expected that this will be done by revising the Standardised Reporting directive 91/692/EC, which needs to be updated and brought into line with the SEIS principles. To this end, the Commission intends to come forward with a relevant legislative proposal in 2008, including a repeal of outdated provisions in the current standardised reporting directive." 14 In the end, the Commission decided not to come forward with a new legal instrument on reporting but to pursue this agenda through a non-legal approach (see EU Shared Environmental Information System-Implementation Outlook 15 ) combined with coordinated action in the different environmental policy areas (such as water, air, nature, etc.). Summary of current scope and relevance of Directive 91/692/EEC Directive 91/692/EEC refers to 28 environmental acts covered by its provisions. A number of further acts make use of Directive 91/692/EEC. Currently due to subsequent repeals of these acts (see overview in table 2), 1 regulation, 9 directives (see overview in table 1) (two directives remain subject to its provisions, namely Directive 86/278/EEC and Directive 87/217/EEC) and 23 decisions remain in force that still make reference to those provisions (see overview in table 3). In conclusion, the majority of the original obligations set out in Directive 91/692/EEC have become obsolete and have no legal effect anymore As a result, the proposal for a repeal has been made to ensure legal certainty, improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and ensure that EU legislation is "fit for purpose" in line with the Better Regulation agenda. Proposed actions to repeal Directive 91/692/EEC and related acts The first action is a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council removing requirements for standardized reporting. It is also proposed that references to the old comitology rules are replaced by Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers as required by Article 13 thereof on transitional measures. The second action aims at adoption of a Communication on declaring obsolescence of the implementing Decisions under Directive 91/692/EEC still in force. The Communication identifies the Decisions that have become obsolete and whose legal basis was repealed. The third action will aim to repeal two implementing decisions, that still have a valid legal basis but in the meantime have exhausted their legal effects. 16 As part of the preparatory analysis, several options were considered to ensure an effective repeal whilst maintaning the legal effects, where necessary. The findings of this analysis are presented in the supporting study 17 that recommends the complete repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC provisions and removal of obsolete provisions, while making reference to new rules on implementing acts. This option consisting of the above-mentioned three actions was identified as most effective in cutting red tape and enhancing legal clarity. Pre-existing directives referred to by Directive 91/692/EEC As noted above, only Directives 86/278/EEC and 87/217/EEC (see overview in table 1) remain from the 28 instruments (see overview in table 2) originally mentioned in Directive 91/692/EEC. It is proposed to maintain the reporting provisions of Directives 86/278/EEC, while aligning it with the new rules for implementing acts established by the TFEU. The reporting requirements of Directive 87/217/EEC are not being used, mainly due to discontinuation of the use of asbestos across the EU Member States as a consequence of the phasing out of the production and use of raw asbestos and of products containing asbestos in the EU, through REACH (1907/2006/EC).
Revised version (Article 27 Reporting by Member States):
1. Every three years the Member States shall submit to the Commission a report on the implementation of this Directive, including the register referred to in point (b) of Article 25(1). The first report shall be sent to the Commission by 30 June 2011. The report shall be drawn up on the basis of a questionnaire or outline adopted by the Commission in the form of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 30(2). The questionnaire or outline shall be sent to Member States at least six months before the deadline for the submission of the report. 2. The Commission shall organise an exchange of information between the competent authorities of the Member States concerning the implementation of this Directive.
Article 28 Penalties
The Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The Member States shall notify those provisions to the Commission by 25 June 2011 and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.
Article 29 Amendments of Annexes
Measures may be adopted to amend the Annexes. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 30(2).
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL General background Many legal acts of the Union were adopted without an expiry date. These acts remain formally in force even if their legal effects have been exhausted. Eliminating acts that are no longer applicable or relevant permits a more user-friendly presentation and more efficient and time-saving scrutiny of tools that facilitate access to Union law: CELEX, EUR-Lex and the Directory of Legislation in force (e.g. search results would no longer show obsolete acts alongside those which are applicable). Improving the transparency of Union law is an essential element of the Better Regulation agenda that the Union Institutions are pursuing also under the new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making 1 . The 2014 REFIT Communication 2 announced that the Commission will prepare repeals of legislation, inter alia, in relation to standardized reporting in the area of environment. Moreover, t he 2015 Better Regulation Communication 3 called for a broad review of reporting in several policy areas including the environment. Given these links, the repeal of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment ("Directive 91/692/EEC") is now being addressed. This is also linked to a wider Fitness Check for environmental monitoring and reporting. That Fitness Check is now underway, as set out in the Commission's Work Programme 2016 4 , which mentioned the proposal for repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and the related water questionnaire Decision 95/337/EEC under repeal initiatives in Annex V. The repeal package consists of four proposed initiatives related to the repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and Decision 95/337/EEC: 1. A Communication which declares the obsolescence of 11 implementing acts adopted by the Commission to establish questionnaires for environmental reporting including Decision 95/337/EEC. 2. Two proposals for Commission Decisions repealing 2 of the implementing decisions (via comitology procedures), namely Commission Decision 2011/92/EU of 10 February 2011 5 and Commission Decision 2010/681/EU of 9 November 2010 6 that have exhausted their legal effect, but for procedural reasons will be repealed via a later comitology procedure by the Commission. 3. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision, which will repeal and amend provisions of the 6 legal acts referring to Directive 91/692/EEC. To prepare these initiatives, the Commission has undertaken an analysis and looked into the consequences of keeping or repealing the various obligations. The result of this work is summarised below and is presented in more detail in a supporting study which is published separately. 7 As the aim is to repeal obsolete provisions and legal acts, it is considered that there is no need for a formal impact assessment to be carried out. It is important to highlight that there are no real economic benefits expected to be harvested as a result of the repeal exercise. Main benefits will be mainly linked to have a clearer set of rules on reporting resulting from this clean-up exercise. Shortcomings of Directive 91/692/EEC The Directive 91/692/EEC (SRD) aimed at streamlining the reporting obligations of all EU environmental legislation in effect at the time of its adoption. However in practice, not all environmental reporting requirements were harmonized by Directive 91/692/EEC. For instance Directives 91/271/EEC 8 and 91/676/EEC 9 were excluded from scope. It can be also observed that the implementation of the Directive was burdensome and ineffective from the outset. One main problem was that the directive was adopted prior to the widespread use of information technology (IT). Furthermore, many of the individual instruments for which Directive 91/692/EEC set out reporting requirements were subsequently replaced by instruments which disregarded its reporting provisions. For example, the Directive 2000/60/EC 10 repealed seven pieces of water legislation and hence the related water questionnaire 95/337/EEC adopted under Directive 91/692/EEC became redundant. Instruments such as the Directive 2000/60/EC and the Directive 2010/75/EC 11 (and its predecessor, Directive 96/61/EC) 12 introduced independent reporting obligations. With the successful development of the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) Reportnet and sectoral initiatives on streamlining of reporting (e.g. the Water Information System for Europe), the need and effectiveness of a horizontal instrument on reporting was increasingly put into question. Finally, the adoption of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and the related development of the Shared Environment Information System (SEIS), 13 introduced a more modern and effective, horizontal approach to information management and reporting related to EU environmental policy. The Commission concluded at the time that "[…] a key step in implementing SEIS, and especially to trigger the expected simplification benefits, will be to modernise the legal provisions relating to the way in which information required by environmental legislation is made available. It is expected that this will be done by revising the Standardised Reporting directive 91/692/EC, which needs to be updated and brought into line with the SEIS principles. To this end, the Commission intends to come forward with a relevant legislative proposal in 2008, including a repeal of outdated provisions in the current standardised reporting directive." 14 In the end, the Commission decided not to come forward with a new legal instrument on reporting but to pursue this agenda through a non-legal approach (see EU Shared Environmental Information System-Implementation Outlook 15 ) combined with coordinated action in the different environmental policy areas (such as water, air, nature, etc.). Summary of current scope and relevance of Directive 91/692/EEC Directive 91/692/EEC refers to 28 environmental acts covered by its provisions. A number of further acts make use of Directive 91/692/EEC. Currently due to subsequent repeals of these acts (see overview in table 2), 1 regulation, 9 directives (see overview in table 1) (two directives remain subject to its provisions, namely Directive 86/278/EEC and Directive 87/217/EEC) and 23 decisions remain in force that still make reference to those provisions (see overview in table 3). In conclusion, the majority of the original obligations set out in Directive 91/692/EEC have become obsolete and have no legal effect anymore As a result, the proposal for a repeal has been made to ensure legal certainty, improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and ensure that EU legislation is "fit for purpose" in line with the Better Regulation agenda. Proposed actions to repeal Directive 91/692/EEC and related acts The first action is a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council removing requirements for standardized reporting. It is also proposed that references to the old comitology rules are replaced by Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers as required by Article 13 thereof on transitional measures. The second action aims at adoption of a Communication on declaring obsolescence of the implementing Decisions under Directive 91/692/EEC still in force. The Communication identifies the Decisions that have become obsolete and whose legal basis was repealed. The third action will aim to repeal two implementing decisions, that still have a valid legal basis but in the meantime have exhausted their legal effects. 16 As part of the preparatory analysis, several options were considered to ensure an effective repeal whilst maintaning the legal effects, where necessary. The findings of this analysis are presented in the supporting study 17 that recommends the complete repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC provisions and removal of obsolete provisions, while making reference to new rules on implementing acts. This option consisting of the above-mentioned three actions was identified as most effective in cutting red tape and enhancing legal clarity. Pre-existing directives referred to by Directive 91/692/EEC As noted above, only Directives 86/278/EEC and 87/217/EEC (see overview in table 1) remain from the 28 instruments (see overview in table 2) originally mentioned in Directive 91/692/EEC. It is proposed to maintain the reporting provisions of Directives 86/278/EEC, while aligning it with the new rules for implementing acts established by the TFEU. The reporting requirements of Directive 87/217/EEC are not being used, mainly due to discontinuation of the use of asbestos across the EU Member States as a consequence of the phasing out of the production and use of raw asbestos and of products containing asbestos in the EU, through REACH (1907/2006/EC).
Revised version (Article 29 Amendments to the Annexes):
The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 29a to amend the Annexes in order to adapt them to technical and scientific progress. Such adaptation may not result in a lowering of the level of safety provided by the criteria contained in Annex I or in a weakening of the monitoring principles contained in Annex II.
Article 30 Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Climate Change Committee. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL General background Many legal acts of the Union were adopted without an expiry date. These acts remain formally in force even if their legal effects have been exhausted. Eliminating acts that are no longer applicable or relevant permits a more user-friendly presentation and more efficient and time-saving scrutiny of tools that facilitate access to Union law: CELEX, EUR-Lex and the Directory of Legislation in force (e.g. search results would no longer show obsolete acts alongside those which are applicable). Improving the transparency of Union law is an essential element of the Better Regulation agenda that the Union Institutions are pursuing also under the new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making 1 . The 2014 REFIT Communication 2 announced that the Commission will prepare repeals of legislation, inter alia, in relation to standardized reporting in the area of environment. Moreover, t he 2015 Better Regulation Communication 3 called for a broad review of reporting in several policy areas including the environment. Given these links, the repeal of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment ("Directive 91/692/EEC") is now being addressed. This is also linked to a wider Fitness Check for environmental monitoring and reporting. That Fitness Check is now underway, as set out in the Commission's Work Programme 2016 4 , which mentioned the proposal for repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and the related water questionnaire Decision 95/337/EEC under repeal initiatives in Annex V. The repeal package consists of four proposed initiatives related to the repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC and Decision 95/337/EEC: 1. A Communication which declares the obsolescence of 11 implementing acts adopted by the Commission to establish questionnaires for environmental reporting including Decision 95/337/EEC. 2. Two proposals for Commission Decisions repealing 2 of the implementing decisions (via comitology procedures), namely Commission Decision 2011/92/EU of 10 February 2011 5 and Commission Decision 2010/681/EU of 9 November 2010 6 that have exhausted their legal effect, but for procedural reasons will be repealed via a later comitology procedure by the Commission. 3. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision, which will repeal and amend provisions of the 6 legal acts referring to Directive 91/692/EEC. To prepare these initiatives, the Commission has undertaken an analysis and looked into the consequences of keeping or repealing the various obligations. The result of this work is summarised below and is presented in more detail in a supporting study which is published separately. 7 As the aim is to repeal obsolete provisions and legal acts, it is considered that there is no need for a formal impact assessment to be carried out. It is important to highlight that there are no real economic benefits expected to be harvested as a result of the repeal exercise. Main benefits will be mainly linked to have a clearer set of rules on reporting resulting from this clean-up exercise. Shortcomings of Directive 91/692/EEC The Directive 91/692/EEC (SRD) aimed at streamlining the reporting obligations of all EU environmental legislation in effect at the time of its adoption. However in practice, not all environmental reporting requirements were harmonized by Directive 91/692/EEC. For instance Directives 91/271/EEC 8 and 91/676/EEC 9 were excluded from scope. It can be also observed that the implementation of the Directive was burdensome and ineffective from the outset. One main problem was that the directive was adopted prior to the widespread use of information technology (IT). Furthermore, many of the individual instruments for which Directive 91/692/EEC set out reporting requirements were subsequently replaced by instruments which disregarded its reporting provisions. For example, the Directive 2000/60/EC 10 repealed seven pieces of water legislation and hence the related water questionnaire 95/337/EEC adopted under Directive 91/692/EEC became redundant. Instruments such as the Directive 2000/60/EC and the Directive 2010/75/EC 11 (and its predecessor, Directive 96/61/EC) 12 introduced independent reporting obligations. With the successful development of the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) Reportnet and sectoral initiatives on streamlining of reporting (e.g. the Water Information System for Europe), the need and effectiveness of a horizontal instrument on reporting was increasingly put into question. Finally, the adoption of the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), and the related development of the Shared Environment Information System (SEIS), 13 introduced a more modern and effective, horizontal approach to information management and reporting related to EU environmental policy. The Commission concluded at the time that "[…] a key step in implementing SEIS, and especially to trigger the expected simplification benefits, will be to modernise the legal provisions relating to the way in which information required by environmental legislation is made available. It is expected that this will be done by revising the Standardised Reporting directive 91/692/EC, which needs to be updated and brought into line with the SEIS principles. To this end, the Commission intends to come forward with a relevant legislative proposal in 2008, including a repeal of outdated provisions in the current standardised reporting directive." 14 In the end, the Commission decided not to come forward with a new legal instrument on reporting but to pursue this agenda through a non-legal approach (see EU Shared Environmental Information System-Implementation Outlook 15 ) combined with coordinated action in the different environmental policy areas (such as water, air, nature, etc.). Summary of current scope and relevance of Directive 91/692/EEC Directive 91/692/EEC refers to 28 environmental acts covered by its provisions. A number of further acts make use of Directive 91/692/EEC. Currently due to subsequent repeals of these acts (see overview in table 2), 1 regulation, 9 directives (see overview in table 1) (two directives remain subject to its provisions, namely Directive 86/278/EEC and Directive 87/217/EEC) and 23 decisions remain in force that still make reference to those provisions (see overview in table 3). In conclusion, the majority of the original obligations set out in Directive 91/692/EEC have become obsolete and have no legal effect anymore As a result, the proposal for a repeal has been made to ensure legal certainty, improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and ensure that EU legislation is "fit for purpose" in line with the Better Regulation agenda. Proposed actions to repeal Directive 91/692/EEC and related acts The first action is a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council removing requirements for standardized reporting. It is also proposed that references to the old comitology rules are replaced by Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers as required by Article 13 thereof on transitional measures. The second action aims at adoption of a Communication on declaring obsolescence of the implementing Decisions under Directive 91/692/EEC still in force. The Communication identifies the Decisions that have become obsolete and whose legal basis was repealed. The third action will aim to repeal two implementing decisions, that still have a valid legal basis but in the meantime have exhausted their legal effects. 16 As part of the preparatory analysis, several options were considered to ensure an effective repeal whilst maintaning the legal effects, where necessary. The findings of this analysis are presented in the supporting study 17 that recommends the complete repeal of Directive 91/692/EEC provisions and removal of obsolete provisions, while making reference to new rules on implementing acts. This option consisting of the above-mentioned three actions was identified as most effective in cutting red tape and enhancing legal clarity. Pre-existing directives referred to by Directive 91/692/EEC As noted above, only Directives 86/278/EEC and 87/217/EEC (see overview in table 1) remain from the 28 instruments (see overview in table 2) originally mentioned in Directive 91/692/EEC. It is proposed to maintain the reporting provisions of Directives 86/278/EEC, while aligning it with the new rules for implementing acts established by the TFEU. The reporting requirements of Directive 87/217/EEC are not being used, mainly due to discontinuation of the use of asbestos across the EU Member States as a consequence of the phasing out of the production and use of raw asbestos and of products containing asbestos in the EU, through REACH (1907/2006/EC).
Revised version (Article 30 Committee procedure):
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Climate Change Committee established by Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 2 ). That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 3 ). 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 32 Amendment of Directive 2000/60/EC
In Article 11(3)(j) of Directive 2000/60/EC, the following indent shall be inserted after the third indent: ‘— injection of carbon dioxide streams for storage purposes into geological formations which for natural reasons are permanently unsuitable for other purposes, provided that such injection is made in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) or excluded from the scope of that Directive pursuant to its Article 2(2);
Article 33 Amendment of Directive 2001/80/EC
In Directive 2001/80/EC, the following Article shall be inserted: 
‘Article 9a
1. Member States shall ensure that operators of all combustion plants with a rated electrical output of 300 megawatts or more for which the original construction licence or, in the absence of such a procedure, the original operating licence is granted after the entry into force of Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) , have assessed whether the following conditions are met:
— suitable storage sites are available,
— suitable storage sites are available,
— transport facilities are technically and economically feasible,
— transport facilities are technically and economically feasible,
— it is technically and economically feasible to retrofit for CO 2 capture.
— it is technically and economically feasible to retrofit for CO 2 capture.
2. If the conditions in paragraph 1 are met, the competent authority shall ensure that suitable space on the installation site for the equipment necessary to capture and compress CO 2 is set aside. The competent authority shall determine whether the conditions are met on the basis of the assessment referred to in paragraph 1 and other available information, particularly concerning the protection of the environment and human health.
Article 34 Amendment of Directive 2004/35/EC
In Annex III to Directive 2004/35/EC, the following paragraph shall be added: ‘14. The operation of storage sites pursuant to Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) ;
Article 35 Amendment of Directive 2006/12/EC
Article 2(1)(a) of Directive 2006/12/EC shall be replaced by the following: ‘(a) gaseous effluents emitted into the atmosphere and carbon dioxide captured and transported for the purposes of geological storage and geologically stored in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) or excluded from the scope of that Directive pursuant to its Article 2(2);
Article 36 Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006
In Article 1(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006, the following point shall be added: ‘(h) shipments of CO 2 for the purposes of geological storage in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) ;
Article 37 Amendment of Directive 2008/1/EC
In Annex I to Directive 2008/1/EC, the following point shall be added: ‘6.9. Capture of CO 2 streams from installations covered by this Directive for the purposes of geological storage pursuant to Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (16) .
Article 38 Review
1. The Commission shall transmit to the European Parliament and to the Council a report on the implementation of this Directive within nine months of receiving the reports referred to in Article 27. 2. In the report transmitted by 31 March 2015, the Commission shall assess in particular, on the basis of experience with the implementation of this Directive, in light of the experience with CCS and taking into account technical progress and the most recent scientific knowledge: — whether permanent containment of CO 2 in such a way as to prevent and reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment and any resulting risk to human health and the environmental and human safety of CCS has been sufficiently demonstrated, — whether the procedures regarding the Commission's reviews of the draft storage permits, referred to in Article 10, and the draft decisions on transfer of responsibility, referred to in Article 18, are still required, — experience with the provisions on CO 2 stream acceptance criteria and procedure referred to in Article 12, — experience with the provisions on third-party access referred to in Articles 21 and 22 and with the provisions on transboundary cooperation pursuant to Article 24, — the provisions applicable to combustion plants with a rated electrical output of 300 megawatts or more referred to in Article 9a of Directive 2001/80/EC, — prospects for geological storage of CO 2 in third countries, — further development and updating of the criteria referred to in Annex I and Annex II, — experience with incentives for applying CCS on installations combusting biomass, — the need for further regulation on environmental risks related to CO 2 transport, and shall present a proposal for revision of the Directive if appropriate. 3. Where permanent containment of CO 2 in such way as to prevent and, where this is not possible, eliminate as far as possible negative effects and any risk to the environment and human health, and the environmental and human safety of CCS have been sufficiently demonstrated, as well as its economic feasibility, the review shall examine whether it is needed and practicable to establish a mandatory requirement for emission performance standards for new electricity-generating large combustion installations pursuant to Article 9a of Directive 2001/80/EC.
Article 39 Transposition and transitional measures
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 25 June 2011. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those measures. When Member States adopt these measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such reference shall be laid down by Member States. 2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive. 3. Member States shall ensure that the following storage sites falling within the scope of this Directive are operated in accordance with the requirements of this Directive by 25 June 2012: (a) storage sites used in accordance with existing legislation on 25 June 2009; (b) storage sites authorised in accordance with such legislation before or on 25 June 2009, provided that the sites are used not later than one year after that date. Articles 4 and 5, Article 7(3), Article 8(2) and Article 10 shall not apply in these cases.
Article 40 Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .
Article 41 Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.