Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR)

On 21 May 2003 36 states, including Austria, signed a new Protocol on "Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers" (PRTR) within the framework of the Aarhus Convention. It provides for publicly accessible registers to be set up containing data on certain pollutants particularly hazardous to the environment or to public health.

On the basis of this Protocol, companies engaged in certain activities that produce emissions will be required to supply emission data on a total of 86 pollutants every year. Among these are greenhouse gases, heavy metals, pesticides and carcinogenous substances such as dioxine.  The authorities concerned are to make these data available to the general public in the internet in a user-friendly way. The timetable for this currently defines 2007 as the first report year.

From the EPER to the E-PRTR

As long ago as 2000 a Commission decision on setting up a European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER) on the basis of the IPPC guidelines was accepted in the EU. The new Protocol will develop the EPER further in some respects, particularly as regards the frequency of reports (every year instead of every three years as previously required), the scope of the pollutant emission data to be reported and the inclusion of off-site transfers of waste.

In October 2004 the EU Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation to implement this Protocol of the Aarhus Convention and set up the European PRTR (E-PRTR) as a continuation of the EPER.

The EU Parliament and the Council of Ministers reached agreement on the PRTR Regulation at first reading at the beginning of July 2005. This Regulation was directly applicable and provided for the E-PRTR to be on line since 2009. It came into force on 1 October 2006.

The PRTR-Task Force of the OECD developed a global Portal to the PRTR-Informationen, which should assist the governments in the development, implementation and improvement of their respective national PRTR-Programmes.

The first Meeting of the Parties held from April 20 to 22, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Implementation in the EU - "from EPER to E-PRTR"

The EC proposed a Regulation for the implementation of the PRTR-Protocol and for the development of the European PRTR as the successor of the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). This Regulation was agreed by the European Parliament and the Council in July 2005, published in January 2006, and is in force since February 2006.

The European Pollutant Emission Register EPER (until 2007) has been developed on the basis of the IPPC Directive. The database provides information on the annual emissions of approx. 9,200 industrial facilities, by pollutant, activity (sector), air and water (direct or via a sewerage system) or by country.

DUe to the PRTP-Protololl the EPER has been further developed, especially regarding reporting period (annually instead of avery thirs year), the amount of reported data and the inclusion of data on the "transfers" of waste.

In 2007, the EPER has been fully replaced by the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), providing easily accessible key environmental data from industrial facilities in European Union Member States and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.

The new register contains data reported annually by some 28,000 industrial facilities covering 65 economic activities across Europe.
 
For each facility, information is provided concerning the amounts of pollutant releases to air, water and land as well as off-site transfers of waste and of pollutants in waste water from a list of 91 key pollutants including heavy metals, pesticides, greenhouse gases and dioxins for the year 2007, 2008 and 2009. Some information on releases from diffuse sources is also available and will be gradually enhanced.

Implementation in Astria 

Austria ratified the PRTR-Protocol in May 2010, it is in force since June 21, 2010.

The UIG Novelle PRTR, BGBl. I Nr. 128/2009 updated the Umweltinformationsgesetz (UIG), praparing the path for the development of the national pollution release and transfer emission register (Österreichisches PRTR) - in German only.

The Austrian PRTR is a publicappy available database providing infomration on large industrial and waste treatment facilities in Austria.