Synthesis Report on Implementation of PRTR Protocol

1. Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters • Agenda item 4(a) Reporting mechanism • Presentation of the synthesis report on the status of implementation of the Protocol by Parties

2. INTRODUCTION • We work collectively • Colleagues lead on individual contributions • Tremendous support from the Secretariat

3. Decision I/5 mandate Synthesis report • summarises the National Implementation Reports • identifies “significant trends, challenges and solutions” (para. 5).

4. Presentation of data • Overwhelming majority of Parties make all PRTR data available through direct electronic means and aim to make data user-friendly • The rest on the way to providing direct electronic access. • Some Parties make PRTR web page interfaces and parts of the pages available in English to promote transboundary accessibility of data.

5. Access to information Nearly all reporting countries have • a sufficient legal framework to handle requests for environmental information pursuant to the Aarhus Convention and the Protocol • administrative and judicial review procedures with regard to a denial of access to PRTR information • In most reporting countries particular administrative authorities may review decisions concerning the provision of environmental information

6. Protection of whistle-blowers • widely perceived as a important part of the Parties’ existing law and constitution • some Parties add laws to their environmental and, in particular, PRTR-related legislation to this effect.

7. Reporting and sources of data • Almost all Parties enable electronic reporting by operators (for example through online reporting tools or by filling in a form to be sent to the authorities by e-mail) • Almost all Parties’ PRTRs are more extensive than the minimum requirements in the Protocol (e.g., by covering more activities or pollutants or lower thresholds) • A wide range of ways of recording emissions from diffuse sources; only clear trend in that regard is that for air emissions from diffuse sources several Parties use methodologies related to UNFCCC or CLRTAP reporting obligations • Large number of the Parties make data publicly available within 12 months of the end of the reporting year; they need 3 months less than the Protocol requires

8. Confidentiality • Operators or owners required to report under the Protocol do not claim confidentiality very often, and in some countries confidentiality claims are decreasing • Most confidentiality claims relate to waste generation and waste shipment • In some countries commercial confidentiality claims are made to protect information related to production capacities and the technologies used by companies.

9. Article 13 obligations on public participation in the development of national PRTRs • Many of the Parties use the web portals on PRTRs to comply with their Article 13 obligations

10. Article 15: capacity building Divided into two broad categories • the provision of information to, and education of civil servants in charge of the PRTR • awareness-raising among the potential users Awareness-raising measures include • press releases, • campaigns for journalists, • videos available on the web, • online tools, including Q&A

11. Article 16 capacity building • Many Parties use Article 16 to help States with economies in transition to establish national PRTRs • Some Parties promote the Protocol by collaboration with non-Parties outside the ECE region, although, strictly speaking, that falls outside the ambit of the synthesis report

12. Challenges and solutions Now the majority of countries have functioning PRTR systems, they need to focus on • the promotion of those systems • helping stakeholders to be aware of the availability of PRTR data.

13. Involvement of Civil Society • Some Parties report a lack of involvement of civil society and lack of interest in the development of PRTRs • Range of measures (e.g. development of relevant publications and the organization of training, workshops, seminars, etc.) could be taken to raise public awareness on national PRTR systems and public participation in them development of national PRTRs in particular

14. PRTR web pages Level of awareness of the public about PRTR web pages should be constantly raised, and the functionality and accessibility of PRTR web pages should be gradually improved because they are the key source of environmental information • few Parties collect statistical data on the number and other characteristics of web page visitors, but those data might help to understand how the web page, and its accessibility, can be improved.

15. PRTR web pages • Focus on the user: • We suggest surveying who is using the data already and targeting further potential users • Potential users in the non-profit sector (governmental and non-governmental organizations), as well as in the business sector. • Objective: raise awareness for the potential added value PRTR data can generate • Data input and quality of data • improve electronic reporting in order to make it easier for facilities and competent authorities to report

16. Other improvements to PRTRs • make registers more up to date: can Parties that publish their data later than 12 months after the end of the reporting year consider earlier deadlines for reporting? • minimise duplicative reporting by analysing existing legislation through, e.g., the establishment of a national working group for PRTR implementation; • foster harmonization where minimum standards are exceeded: is it possible for Parties to adjust, e.g., thresholds, the number of pollutants, activities, water, energy, resource consumption, source-type of greenhouse gas emissions (fossil versus non‑fossil)?

17. Other improvements to PRTRs • encourage Parties and operators to use their Registers to report on additional subjects (such as additional pollutants and sources of pollution, energy consumption, changes in production volumes, emission reduction below existing thresholds and parameters related to sustainable production in general) • complete the missing data in the national Registers and complete or revise related legislation by adopting the necessary measures fully to implement the Protocol (including emissions from diffuse sources)

18. Good practices with respect to claims for confidentiality • All the information contained in a PRTR should be considered as “environmental information” and any possible ground for refusal based on confidentiality should be interpreted in a restrictive way • All claims for confidentiality should be treated consistently: maybe build up a bank of decision criteria that might be applied to claims of confidentiality

19. Technical and financial issues Several countries, including some EU countries, report they are facing technical and financial problems in implementing article 13 public participation in the development of PRTRs) • It is important for the implementation of the Protocol for such Parties to obtain sufficient assistance.

20. EIT countries Parties with economies in transition face challenges in implementing their PRTRs because of financial constraints, a lack of human resources and technical facilities. • Substantial and continuing international cooperation with, assistance to and support for such countries is a priority

21. And finally …. • Carry on the good work • We encourage Parties • to discuss implementation issues with each other and members of the Compliance Committee, to build on this meeting, and see what use can be made of the synthesis report at a national level • to prepare for next reporting cycle by identifying improvements. • The synthesis report prepared by the Compliance Committee and online available on the UNECE website. • Open round table with the Committee taking place tomorrow morning between 8:30 and 9:55 and discuss Lessons learned from the first reporting cycle