The IPPC Directive

Revision of the IPPC Directive

Towards an improved policy on industrial policy

Commission takes steps to cut industrial emissions further

After a 2 year review process, the Commission adopted on 21 December 2007 the following package to improve the EU policy on industrial emissions:

a Proposal for a Directive on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control)
a Communication "Towards an improved policy on industrial emissions"
an Impact Assessment and its Executive Summary . The main 10 studies carried out during the review process can be found on the IPPC Review CIRCA web site.

See also Press Release and Questions and Answers about the new Proposal.

The inter-institutional procedure for this proposal can be monitored using the Pre-Lex database.

The Proposal for a Directive on industrial emissions recasts seven existing Directives related to industrial emissions into a single clear and coherent legislative instrument. The recast includes the IPPC Directive, the Large Combustion Plants Directive, the Waste Incineration Directive, the Solvents Emissions Directive and 3 Directives on Titanium Dioxide.

An informal document on recasting has been prepared by Commission services for information purposes. This provides guidance for experts and stakeholders on the use of the recast technique, and indicates the way in which recast proposals are agreed through the co-decision process.

The Commission's proposal will lead to significant benefits to the environment and human health by reducing harmful industrial emissions across the EU, in particular through better application of Best Available Techniques. For the large combustion plants alone it will achieve net benefits of €7-28 billion per year, including the reduction of premature deaths and years of life lost by 13,000 and 125,000 respectively.

Minimum provisions covering the inspection of industrial installations, the review of permits, reporting on compliance and protection of soil will be introduced with consequent environmental improvements. The scope of the legislation will be clarified and amended to include some new activities bringing further benefits for the environment and human health.

The streamlining of permitting, reporting and monitoring requirements as well as a renewed cooperation with Member States to simplify implementation will lead to a reduction in unnecessary administrative burden of between €105 and €255 million per year.

Following the inter-institutional negotiations, the Directive on industrial emissions 2010/75/EU (IED) was adopted on 24 November 2010. It entered into force on 6 January 2011 and has to be transposed into national legislation by Member States by 7 January 2013. The IED repeals the IPPC Directive and the sectoral directives as of 7 January 2014, with the exception of the LCP Directive, which will be repealed with effect from 1 January 2016.