Public Consultation: THE 2017 National Implementation Report of the PRTR Protocol

 

CONSULTATION BRIEF

1. 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.

2. SUMMARY
The below is a brief summary of information provided in Malta’s National Implementation Report;

  • This Protocol provides the public with the opportunity to access key environmental information and become more involved in environmental decision making.
  • Malta complies with the PRTR Protocol’s obligation of annual reporting on PRTR from permitted operations on the basis of its compliance with EU Council Regulation EC 166/2006 on E-PRTR, as per the reporting template determined from time to time;
  • PRTR data from Malta is accessible to the public on the European E-PRTR website (https://prtr.eea.europa.eu/#/home);
  • The European PRTRs (E-PRTR) reports are submitted annually as part of the Annual Environmental Reports by the end of March;
  • In accordance with the E-PRTR regulations, more stringent transfer and release values and additional pollutants are included in the E-PRTR system when compared to the PRTR Protocol;
  • Additionally, also in accordance with the E-PRTR regulations, additional activities may be required to submit a E-PRTR report, since the EU Regulation goes over and above what is required by the PRTR Protocol in this respect;
  • Reference is made in the Report .to the Whistle Blower’s Act, which safeguards employees of a facility who report a violation in good faith from any detrimental action;
  • Reference is also made to diffuse sources which are reported through the emission inventory for the National Emission Ceilings Directive and the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution;
  • The report also details the process by which data is received, analysed and reported as well as the process of quality control and quality assurance on the data received from facilities.

3. COMMENTS
The draft Report may be viewed here.

Any comments must be submitted by 15th June at the latest on the following email address: [email protected].

The Environment and Resources Authority shall take into consideration any concerns and comments submitted when finalising the report.

Publication of information
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.