Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU

The Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and the Council (IED) is the main EU instrument regulating pollutant emissions from industrial installations. The IED was adopted on 24 November 2010 and entered into force on 6 January 2011.

Introduction

The IED aims to achieve a high level of protection of human health and the environment taken as a whole by reducing harmful industrial emissions across the EU, in particular through better application of Best Available Techniques (BAT).

Around 50,000 installations undertaking the industrial activities listed in Annex I of the IED are required to operate in accordance with a permit (granted by the authorities in the Member States). This permit should contain conditions set in accordance with the principles and provisions of the IED. The IED is the successor of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive.

IED principles

The IED is based on the following principles:

An integrated approach: in which the regulation of installations takes into account environmental impacts as a whole including emissions to air, water and land, generation of waste, use of raw materials, energy efficiency, noise, prevention of accidents, and restoration of the site upon closure.

Best available techniques (BAT): where the permitting of installations and emission limit values are based on agreed BAT Conclusions and BAT Reference Documents (known as BREFs) published by the European Commission.
Flexibility: by allowing the licensing authorities to set less strict emission limit values in specific cases where an assessment shows that the achievement of emission levels associated with BAT as described in the BAT conclusions would lead to disproportionately higher costs compared to the environmental benefits due to geographical location or the local environmental conditions or the technical characteristics of the installation.
A system for environmental inspections: where Member States must set up a system of environmental inspections and draw up inspection plans. Site visits have to take place at least every 1 to 3 years, using risk-based criteria.
Public participation: in decision-making and being informed of its consequences by having access to permit applications, the issued permits, the results of the monitoring of releases and the inspection actions that have been executed

IED implementation arrangements

The IED makes provisions for the establishment of two groups involving representatives from Member States to support the implementation of the IED. These are:

The IED Article 13 Forum: a formal expert group set up to exchange of information between Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection and the Commission. The focus of this group is to review and form an opinion on the proposed content of the BAT reference documents.
The IED Article 75 Committee: a formal Committee set up to assist the Commission by delivering opinions on implementing acts, including guidance on the collection of data and on the drawing up of BAT reference documents and on their quality assurance, BAT conclusions, implementing rules for large combustion plants and the type, format and frequency of reporting by Member States.
The Industrial Emissions Expert Group (IEEG): An informal group established to facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices concerning interpretation, transposition and implementation of the IED, and to advise the Commission during the preparation of delegated acts.

Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU

Introduction

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IED principles

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IED implementation arrangements

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