EEB

Enforcement

Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections

• What is the EU doing?
• What is the EEB doing?
• Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections
• Implementing European Community Environmental Law
• Environmental Liability

Environmental inspections are one of the important tools to monitor compliance with environmental requirements.

In the 2007 evaluation of the recommendation for minimum criteria for environmental inspections Commission notes that “there are still large disparities in the way environmental inspections are being carried out within the Community. Such disparities mean that the full implementation of environmental legislation in the Community can not be ensured. They also lead to distortions of competition for businesses.” Despite this statement it intended to continue working with recommendations rather than binding legislation.

The EEB therefore welcomed the European Parliament’s Resolution in October 2008 in which it “…urges the Commission to come forward, before the end of 2009, with a proposal for a directive on environmental inspections, clarifying the definitions and criteria and extending the scope”.

The Commission did not meet the end of 2009 deadline. It is currently working on an Impact Assessment (IA) and expects the draft directive will be published in summer 2010.

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