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Energy, Climate change, Environment
Environment

Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation (IEPR)​

Making emissions data and resource use publicly available

Overview

Get better data

Around 60,000 large industrial facilities are operating in the EU. Under the Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation (IEPR)​, industrial operators for these sites are required to report on significant emissions and the use of resources.

The EU aims to improve transparency in data reporting by collecting and disseminating information on the amounts of industrial pollutant releases, off-site transfers of waste and pollutants in wastewater, as well as the consumption of energy, water and key raw materials.

The Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation (IEPR) replaces the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Regulation (E-PRTR). It provides public access to key environmental data from industrial facilities in EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and the UK through the Industrial Emissions Portal (the Portal).

Objectives 

The IEPR implements the Kyiv Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (UNECE-PRTR Protocol) to the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. 

Data published in the Portal allows for the identification and monitoring of sources of industrial pollution, in order to contribute to its prevention and reduction. Consequently, it builds awareness of environmental matters, enables a free exchange of views and effective participation by the public in environmental decision-making, and contributes to a better environment.

The IEPR and the revised Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) are closely linked in terms of their scope. Also, reporting requirements for pollutant releases and transfers are aligned with the permit conditions set out under the IED 2.0. This enables the IEPR to provide reliable and comparable data on pollutant emissions and resource use by the EU industry. It also supports the Portal’s efforts in monitoring and reducing the environmental impact of these data. It also supports the Portal’s efforts in monitoring and reducing the environmental impact of these data.

Law

The IEPR, replacing the E-PRTR, sets the framework for the legal reporting requirements of industrial installations in the EU. Current E-PRTR reporting requirements are detailed in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1741 complemented by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/142, which specifies reporting rules on production volume.

Main features 

Following a comprehensive evaluation in 2017, the Commission proposed to revise the E-PRTR Regulation. The new IEPR was adopted on 12 April 2024 and entered into force on 22 May 2024. During the next two years, the Commission will work on implementing rules, including among others, a standardised format for reporting on resource use and for new sectors. The first data reported under the new law and describing releases and resource use in 2027 will be published in 2028.

The revised Regulation will:

  1. Broaden access to environmental information in the Industrial Emissions Portal by publishing information on energy, water and raw materials consumption, and by providing contextual information on operators’ activity.
  2. Align the sectoral scope and granularity of reporting with the IED 2.0 to better support IED 2.0 implementation.
  3. Enable the list of reported pollutants to be adjusted in response to advancements in science and updates to EU environmental laws.
  4. Improve data quality by harmonising quantification methods to be used by operators when reporting.
  5. Simplify reporting for aquaculture and livestock sectors.

Implementation 

The EU Registry on Industrial Sites implements the INSPIRE Directive’s requirements for making spatial and geographical information more accessible and interoperable. The Portal provides a clear link between data provided by industrial installations subject to the IEPR and those regulated under the IED. 

Commission Implementing Decisions (EU) 2019/1741 and 2018/1135 together provide the legal basis for the EU Registry on Industrial Sites. 

The Commission and European Environment Agency worked with reporting countries to implement a new system that better integrates reporting under the IEPR and the IED.

Under the resulting EU Registry on Industrial Sites, E-PRTR data is reported in combination with data on the IED and Large Combustion Plants (LCP).

In the following months, the Commission will update the rules on reporting requirements and will develop guidelines to support the implementation of the IEPR. 

Related links 

Main laws:  IEPR

Evaluation: Commission Staff Working Document and  Executive Summary 

Impact Assessment: SWD(2022) 111 final and Executive Summary

Related topics: Air, Chemicals, Plastics 

Related strategies: Zero Pollution Action Plan 

Related Commission priorities: European Green Deal 

You can find our IED 2.0 story here.

Contact  

For questions about EU environmental policy, please contact Europe Direct.