Introduction

 The Environmental Inspection Cycle is also used by IMPEL as a framework for integrating other IMPEL inspection initiatives, creating better cohesion between the tools that are developed.

Although there is a lot of experience in Europe in environmental permitting (first IPPC and later IED), the permitting procedure has never been described in a step-by-step guidance. As a result there is no level playing field for the procedures of environmental permitting, there is no guidance for new permitting officers and there is less cohesion between the IMPEL initiatives on permitting.

This tool is a combined guidance for permitting and inspection.

Figure 1 shows the sequential steps. Activities within these steps are interrelated, and a missing or underdeveloped step immediately affects the step that follow. For example, inadequate permitting affects inspection and enforcement actions. Inspections are only effective if permitting can be used as a proper starting mechanism. Compliance checking and monitoring are only effective if an inspection system is in place and the consequences of non-compliance can be adequately addressed in the follow-up activities. When there are non-enforceable regulations or permit conditions in place, feedback may lead to adjustments in the legal framework or in the permit conditions to make them more enforceable.

In this guidance we will only cover the steps: Legislation; Implementation; and Evaluation and feedback. The implementation step represents Permitting and Inspection.

The guidance should be used in combination with the technical guidance from the European Commission that are already in place (and the formal/ informal Expert Groups), and the guidance already in place/ under development in your country. The guidance is written for inspectors, permit writers, their management but also for policy makers.