1. Eva Goossens, EEA (Eva.goossens@eea.europa.eu)
E-PRTR European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register - Public access to information
Eva Goossens, EEA
"Get your right to a healthy community“
Subregional Workshop on PRTR for countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia

2. Content of the presentation
Rationale for diffuse inventory
EEA – who are we – what do we do?
PRTR – why?
Legal framework in Europe
European PRTR
Coverage / data flow
Website – Public access
Diffuse sources in E-PRTR

3. EEA (European Environment Agency): Who are we?
EEA is an independent agency of the European Union
Role:
to provide sound, independent information on the environment
be a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public

4. - EEA member and cooperating countries
Networks
- EEA member and cooperating countries
EEA is dependent upon strong networks to perform our work
32 EEA Member countries
EU-27, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey
EEA cooperating countries
7 West Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as Kosovo under the UN Security Council Resolution 1244/99.
___________________________________________________________
ENP South (Mediterranean)
Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunesia and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (+ Libyia)
ENP East
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine
Member countries
Cooperating countries

5. Why a PRTR? - Purpose
Public access to environmental information
Inventories of pollution
from industrial sites (point sources) but also
diffuse sources of pollution

6. The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)
On-line access to information of pollution generated by industry and diffuse sources, such as transport, agriculture, and domestic heating, for which emissions cannot be measured at specific points

7. Legal framework – International context
UN-ECE* Protocol on PRTR
under the Aarhus Convention concerning
Access to Information, Public Participation
in Decision-making and Access to Justice
in Environmental Matters
‘open’ global Protocol
27 Parties
EU, 21 EU MS + Albania, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Entered into force October 2009
Data available as of 2012 (reference year 2010)
86 pollutants
* UN-ECE: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
** status on 25/10/2011

8. Legal framework – European Union context
European Union (EU) legislation
Regulation (EC) 166/2006
Establishes the European PRTR
Based on a previous register (EPER) and IPPC Directive
32 countries:
27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
Switzerland and Serbia (voluntary)
Annual reporting
Data available as of 2007 (first published in 2009)
 Implements the PRTR Protocol + beyond
91 pollutants (Hexabromobiphenyl, Octylphenols, Fluoranthene, Isodrin, Benzo(g,h,i)perylene + 86 of the PRTR Protocol)

9. Legal framework – EU Member States
E-PRTR
Obligation to report data to EU
National PRTR = national choice
National legislation
Point source / diffuse sources
Pollutants: number and thresholds
Ratification of PRTR Protocol – national PRTR should at least be in compliance with the requirements of the UNECE Protocol

10. European PRTR – Point source reporting
Who?
Operators of 29,000 facilities
undertaking one or more ‘Annex I’ activities
above a capacity threshold set in the E-PRTR Regulation
What?
Releases of pollutants to air, water and land
reporting threshold (per pollutant and media)
routine and accidental releases
Off-site transfers of waste
Hazardous waste > 2 tonnes per year
Non-hazardous waste > 2000 tonnes per year
Off-site transfer of pollutants in waste water
Pollutants above Annex II threshold

11. European PRTR – Point source reporting
Coverage
25,000 facilities
65 industrial activities
91 pollutants
activities in 9 sectors:
Energy
Production and processing of metals
Mineral industry
Chemical industry *
Waste and waste water management
Paper and wood production and processing
Intensive livestock production and Aquaculture
Animal and vegetable products from the food and beverage sector
Other activities.
91 pollutants in 7 groups:
Greenhouse gases
Other gases
Heavy metals
Pesticides
Chlorinated organic substances
Other organic substance
Inorganic substances
* No thresholds

12. … … … … … Point Source DATA FLOW Competent authority Public Facility
Release/transfer report …
Competent authority
Validation …
Country
Compilation of reports
Europe
Compilation for EU
Publication of E-PRTR
Public (

13. European PRTR – Website
A cooperation between EEA and the European Commission

14. European PRTR – Website
Data is searchable by:
facility name,
address
country
industrial activity
pollutant
map
etc

15. Facility search - basic

16. Facility search - advanced

17. Facility search - Result list

18. Facility details – general information
Activity definition and …

19. Facility details – pollutant releases
… amounts of pollutants released

20. Facility details – Time series

21. Map search: entirely geographical access to data

22. Map search: What is close to you ?

23. Map search: Zoom and select an individual facility

24. Data confidentiality: quick facts
When information is kept confidential by a Member State, a reason has to be provided in accordance with Art.4 Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information
261 facilities in 4 countries ( Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden)
Mainly waste transfers and facility names
Reasons for confidentiality
Proceeding of public authorities – Article 4(2)(a)
International relations, public security or national defence - Article 4(2)(b)
the course of Justice- Article 4(2)(c)
Commercial or industrial information - Article 4(2)(d)
Intellectual property rights - Article 4(2)(e)
Personal data  (natural person) - Article 4(2)(f)
The interest or protection of any person providing data on a voluntary basis - Article4(2)(g)
The protection of the environment to which such information relates – Article 4(2)(h) 24

25. Data confidentiality: website presentation
Article 4(2)(d)
Confidentiality of commercial or industrial information

26. Diffuse sources included in E-PRTR
32 maps
Scale: 5km by 5km (grids)
Sectors:
road transport,
shipping,
aviation,
domestic heating,
agriculture
small business (diffuse emissions)
Pollutants:
nitrogen oxides (NOX),
sulphur oxides (SO2),
carbon dioxide (CO2),
ammonia (NH3)
particulate matter (PM10) 26

27. Residential combustion (NOx)
Diffuse sources:
Residential combustion (NOx) 27

28. Diffuse sources: Road transport (NOx)28

29. Diffuse sources: Road transport (NOx)29

30. Diffuse sources: agriculture (NH3)30

31. Diffuse sources: domestic shipping (NOx)31

32. international shipping (SO2)
Diffuse sources:
international shipping (SO2) 32

33. Incorporation into E-PRTR website (data download via EEA’s dataservice)

35. ANNEX on EPER and E-PRTR

36. MS PRTR protocol ratification: Different MS data in European and national PRTR?
MS data in E-PRTR
MS specific PRTR
Legal framework
E-PRTR Regulation
National legislation
Information
Point source data (facilities)
Point source data (facilities) + inventory of diffuse sources
Publication
E-PRTR website
National PRTR website
Frequency / timelines
Annual update (from 2010 onwards April – data of year x-2)
At least annual update of point source data
Industrial sectors/activities 65
At least 65 of PRTR protocol
Pollutants 91
? (at least 86 of PRTR protocol)
Thresholds
Defined in E-PRTR regulation
At least in compliance with PRTR Protocol

37. E-PRTR Regulation versus PRTR Protocol
Differences
Pollutants (Annex 2)
PRTR Protocol: 86 / E-PRTR Regulation: 91
(additional pollutants: Octylphenols and Octylphenol ethoxylates, Fluoranthene, Isodrin, Hexabromobiphenyl, and Benzo(g,h,i)perylene))
Thresholds (Annex 2)
E-PRTR more stringent thresholds for 6 pollutants
PCDD+PCDF (dioxins + furans), Tetrachloroethylene (PER), Tetrachloromethane (TCM), Trichlorobenzenes (TCBs and all isomers), Trichloroethylene, Trichloromethane
Specific implementation
Activity threshold
E-PRTR: capacity threshold
PRTR Protocol: capacity or employee threshold
EPER and IPPC
Pollutants listed in Annex III are indicative pollutants to take into account during the permitting. The pollutants to be reported on (from certain threshold values onwards) are listed in the EPER Decision (2000/479/EC). The reporting includes 50 pollutants in total. For emissions to water and air the number of pollutants to be reported on are respectively 37 and 26.
The facilities to be reported on are those covered by Annex I of the IPPC Directive (96/61/EC).
Differences between EPER and E-PRTR
EPER and E-PRTR have different activities for the point sources.
E-PRTR includes diffuse sources and transfers.
E-PRTR has additional pollutants – E-PRTR: 91 pollutants (see below)
Facilities to be reported on: IPPC facilities + .additional activities (clear listing in the draft E-PRTR guidance document)
Differences between E-PRTR and the PRTR protocol
PRTR protocol includes the reporting on 86 pollutants (E-PRTR 91, additional pollutants: Octylphenols and Octylphenol ethoxylates, Fluoranthene, Isodrin, Hexabromobiphenyl, and Benzo(g,h,i)perylene))
Different (more stringent) thresholds for PCDD+PCDF (dioxins + furans), Tetrachloroethylene (PER), Tetrachloromethane (TCM), Trichlorobenzenes (TCBs and all isomers), Trichloroethylene, Trichloromethane
Same activities