Environmental reporting: Estonian presidency strikes a deal with the European Parliament
On 22 November, the Estonian presidency reached a provisional deal with European Parliament representatives on the adoption of a decision repealing and amending outdated EU i environmental legislation and providing legal clarity on the reporting obligations related to environmental matters.
The repeal concerns the standardised reporting directive (directive 91/692/EEC). This is an overarching piece of legislation which refers specifically to a total of 28 environmental acts, and is relevant for many others. Six other legal acts related to the directive will also be amended.
The new decision reduces, simplifies and harmonises reporting requirements under EU environmental legislation. Possible gaps and inconsistencies in the current requirements are also addressed and corrected as a result.
This decision means that the EU's environmental legislation will be cleaned up, become more transparent, and will lead to a reduction in administrative expenses.
"All three EU institutions share two central objectives: to adopt better legislation and to ensure that the one in force is fit for purpose. Today's decision meets these aims. We are adopting clearer and more streamlined environmental reporting rules that will help decrease administrative costs. I am grateful to the European Parliament and the Commission for this swift agreement."
Siim Kiisler, Minister for the Environment of the Republic of Estonia
Given the similarities between the Council's position and that of the Parliament, negotiations were completed rapidly and efficiently.
The Council and the European Parliament agreed on the main provisions of the Commission proposal. The agreed text will bring the comitology provisions of existing environmental legislation adopted before 2010 into line with the Lisbon Treaty and the interinstitutional agreement.
This decision is one of three initiatives proposed by the Commission in its 2016 “repeal package” of the standardised reporting directive which is intended to establish a more comprehensive environmental reporting framework.
Next steps
The provisional agreement will be presented to EU ambassadors at a forthcoming meeting of the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) for approval. After formal endorsement by the Council, the new decision will be submitted to the European Parliament for a vote at first reading and to the Council for final adoption.
The new legislation will enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Given the references in this decision to the Waste package, it has been decided to postpone the plenary vote in the European Parliament until an agreement on the new waste legislation is reached. The entry into force will therefore occur at the same time, thereby ensuring legal consistency.
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-Commission proposal
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-Standardised reporting directive (91/692/EEC)
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-Commission website - monitoring and reporting