THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty(2),

Whereas:

(1) Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control(3) has been substantially amended several times(4). In the interests of clarity and rationality the said Directive should be codified.

(2) The objectives and principles of the Community’s environment policy, as set out in Article 174 of the Treaty, consist in particular of preventing, reducing and as far as possible eliminating pollution by giving priority to intervention at source and ensuring prudent management of natural resources, in compliance with the ‘polluter pays’ principle and the principle of pollution prevention.

(3) The Fifth Environmental Action Programme, the broad outline of which was approved by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, in the Resolution of 1 February 1993 on a Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development(5), accorded priority to integrated pollution control as an important part of the move towards a more sustainable balance between human activity and socioeconomic development, on the one hand, and the resources and regenerative capacity of nature, on the other.

(4) The implementation of an integrated approach to reduce pollution requires action at Community level in order to modify and supplement existing Community legislation concerning the prevention and control of pollution from industrial plants.

(5) Council Directive 84/360/EEC of 28 June 1984 on the combating of air pollution from industrial plants(6) introduced a general framework requiring authorisation prior to any operation or substantial modification of industrial installations which may cause air pollution.

(6) Directive 2006/11/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community(7) provides for an authorisation requirement for the discharge of those substances.

(7) Although Community legislation exists on the combating of air pollution and the prevention or minimisation of the discharge of dangerous substances into water, there is no comparable Community legislation aimed at preventing or minimising emissions into soil.

(8) Different approaches to controlling emissions into the air, water or soil separately may encourage the shifting of pollution between the various environmental media rather than protecting the environment as a whole.

(9) The objective of an integrated approach to pollution control is to prevent emissions into air, water or soil wherever this is practicable, taking into account waste management, and, where it is not, to minimise them in order to achieve a high level of protection for the environment as a whole.

(10) This Directive should establish a general framework for integrated pollution prevention and control. It should lay down the measures necessary to implement integrated pollution prevention and control in order to achieve a high level of protection for the environment as a whole. Application of the principle of sustainable development should be promoted by an integrated approach to pollution control.

(11) The provisions of this Directive should apply without prejudice to the provisions of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(8). When information or conclusions obtained further to the application of that Directive have to be taken into consideration for the granting of authorisation, this Directive should not affect the implementation of Directive 85/337/EEC.

(12) Member States should take the necessary steps in order to ensure that the operator of the industrial activities referred to in this Directive is complying with the general principles of certain basic obligations. For that purpose it would suffice for the competent authorities to take those general principles into account when laying down the authorisation conditions.

(13) Some of the provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive must be applied to existing installations after 30 October 2007 and others had to be applied as from 30 October 1999.

(14) In order to tackle pollution problems more effectively and efficiently, environmental aspects should be taken into consideration by the operator. Those aspects should be communicated to the competent authority or authorities so that they can satisfy themselves, before granting a permit, that all appropriate preventive or pollution-control measures have been laid down. Very different application procedures may give rise to different levels of environmental protection and public awareness. Therefore, applications for permits under this Directive should include minimum data.

(15) Full coordination of the authorisation procedure and conditions between competent authorities should make it possible to achieve the highest practicable level of protection for the environment as a whole.

(16) The competent authority or authorities should grant or amend a permit only when integrated environmental protection measures for air, water and land have been laid down.

(17) The permit should include all necessary measures to fulfil the authorisation conditions in order thus to achieve a high level of protection for the environment as a whole. Without prejudice to the authorisation procedure, those measures may also be the subject of general binding requirements.

(18) Emission limit values, parameters or equivalent technical measures should be based on the best available techniques, without prescribing the use of one specific technique or technology and taking into consideration the technical characteristics of the installation concerned, its geographical location and local environmental conditions. In all cases the authorisation conditions should lay down provisions on minimising long-distance or transfrontier pollution and ensure a high level of protection for the environment as a whole.

(19) It is for the Member States to determine how the technical characteristics of the installation concerned, its geographical location and local environmental conditions can, where appropriate, be taken into consideration.

(20) When an environmental quality standard requires more stringent conditions than those that can be achieved by using the best available techniques, supplementary conditions should in particular be required by the permit, without prejudice to other measures that may be taken to comply with the environmental quality standards.

(21) Because best available techniques will change with time, particularly in the light of technical advances, the competent authorities should monitor or be informed of such progress.

(22) Changes to an installation may give rise to pollution. The competent authority or authorities should therefore be notified of any change which might affect the environment. Substantial changes to plant must be subject to the granting of prior authorisation in accordance with this Directive.

(23) The authorisation conditions should be periodically reviewed and if necessary updated. Under certain conditions, they should in any event be re-examined.

(24) Effective public participation in the taking of decisions should enable the public to express, and the decision-maker to take account of, opinions and concerns which may be relevant to those decisions, thereby increasing the accountability and transparency of the decision-making process and contributing to public awareness of environmental issues and support for the decisions taken. In particular, the public should have access to information on the operation of installations and their potential effect on the environment, and, before any decision is taken, to information relating to applications for permits for new installations or substantial changes and to the permits themselves, their updating and the relevant monitoring data.

(25) Participation, including participation by associations, organisations and groups, in particular non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection, should accordingly be fostered, including by promoting environmental education of the public.

(26) On 25 June 1998 the Community signed the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Århus Convention). Among the objectives of the Århus Convention is the desire to guarantee rights of public participation in decision-making in environmental matters in order to contribute to the protection of the right to live in an environment which is adequate for personal health and well-being.

(27) The development and exchange of information at Community level about best available techniques should help to redress the technological imbalances in the Community, should promote the worldwide dissemination of limit values and techniques used in the Community and should help the Member States in the efficient implementation of this Directive.

(28) Reports on the implementation and effectiveness of this Directive should be drawn up regularly.

(29) This Directive is concerned with installations whose potential for pollution, and therefore transfrontier pollution, is significant. Transboundary consultation should be organised where applications relate to the licensing of new installations or substantial changes to installations which are likely to have significant negative environmental effects. The applications relating to such proposals or substantial changes should be available to the public of the Member State likely to be affected.

(30) The need for action may be identified at Community level to lay down emission limit values for certain categories of installation and pollutant covered by this Directive. The European Parliament and the Council should set such emission limit values in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty.

(31) The provisions of this Directive should apply without prejudice to Community provisions on health and safety at the workplace.

(32) This Directive should be without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States relating to the time-limits for transposition into national law of the Directives as set out in Annex VI, Part B,

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