CONSULTATION BRIEF
Start date: 30 November 2024
Closing date: 30 December 2024
Title of the public consultation: Consultation on the Content of the PRTR National Implementation Report 2025
Ministry: Ministry for Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness (MEEC)
Entity: Environment and Resources Authority (ERA)
- Background
The Kyiv Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer is a legally binding international instrument on pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTR). The Protocol aims to “to enhance public access to information through the establishment of coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs)” A PRTR is an inventory of emissions from industrial sites to air, water and soil, which may be hazardous. The PRTR is an important tool for environmental policy which encourages industries and facilities to reduce their impact on the environment, whilst maintaining transparency with the public.
The PRTR Protocol to the Aarhus Convention entered into force, thus binding its Parties, on 8 October 2009. The European Union (EU) is one of the Parties to this protocol, and as a result published Council Regulation EC 166/2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC on 18 January 2006.
Malta became a Party to the Kyiv Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer on the 20th May 2016, however prior to this date, the provisions of the Protocol applied indirectly to Malta through its membership in the EU. In fact, Malta was already compliant with the requirements of the EU E-PRTR Regulations (EC 166/2006), which, as stated above, implements the PRTR Protocol, when it became a party to the Protocol.
Pursuant to Article 17 of the Protocol on PRTRs, Parties continuously review the implementation of the Protocol on a regular basis through national reports. To further promote the exchange of knowledge and experience, the national implementation reports prepared by the Parties for each reporting cycle are made accessible through the search engine on the UNECE PRTR website.
- Consultation
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) is holding a public consultation to seek the public’s input on what type of information the public would like the Authority to include in the 2025 National Implementation Report on PRTR in addition to the questions being asked in the standard reporting template.
ERA shall be taking note of the representations received relative to the PRTR and shall include any relevant information in the draft report which will then be issued for public consultation.
- Documents
Format for the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers Implementation Report
- Submission of feedback
Comments are being invited through the feedback form at publicconsultation.gov.mt or otherwise by email through [email protected].
- Further notes
Please be informed that comments submitted, together with the identity of the contributor, may be published online at the end of the public consultation, unless the contributor objects to the publication of his/her personal data. In this case, the contribution may be published in anonymous form.
All comments submitted shall be duly considered.
