The European Commission has adopted new legislation on industrial emissions to strengthen the provisions already in force and reduce industrial emissions throughout the European Union. The proposal is  intended to bring significant health and environmental benefits and create a better level playing field across the EU, reducing competition distortions between companies. It will also simplify current legislation by merging seven directives into one -  intended to reduce  the administrative burden for industry and public authorities.

Commenting on the new legislation, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “Industrial emissions in the European Union remain too high and are having detrimental effects on human health and the environment. Clearer and stricter rules are needed to ensure that industrial installations comply with the necessary high environmental standards across the EU. The EU must ensure that companies meet their obligations and use the best available techniques."

The aim of the new directive is to tackle the shortcomings of current legislation on industrial emissions. There are seven overlapping directives covering similar activities with approximately 52,000 installations falling under the scope of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive alone. The main thrust of the directive is to increase the use of "best available techniques" (BATs), an obligation to ensure that industrial operators use the most cost-effective techniques to achieve a high level of environmental protection.

According to the Commission, due to the weakness of existing legislation, there has not been the level of application of BATs required by the IPPC Directive across the EU. Compliance with and enforcement of current legislation in the different Member States is also inconsistent and the complex legal framework carries unnecessary costs for industry.

The most recent figures on the issuing of permits under the IPPC Directive suggest that by mid-2006 only about 50% of the 52,000 installations concerned had received a permit. In the Commission’s view this is a regrettable situation which shows Member States have not made sufficient efforts to comply with the directive's deadline of 30 October 2007.

The proposal is however not due to come into effect for several years. In the interim, the Commission will therefore also put forward recommendations and work with Member States to improve the implementation of existing legislation.