Austria 2016/22
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IMPEL REVIEW INITIATIVE (IRI) “A voluntary scheme for reporting and offering advice to environmental authorities” Report on the IRI that took place in Graz from 14 to 17 June 2016 at the Burg Graz Draft version 3.0 Page 1 Title report: Number report: IRI Austria 2016/22 Project managers: Report adopted at IMPEL General Tony Liebregts (NL) and Michael Schubert Assembly: Author: Number of pages: Rob Kramers and Birna Guttormsdottir Report: 49 Annexes: 8 Tony Liebregts (team leader), Rob Kramers (rapporteur), Birna Guttormsdóttir (rapporteur), Horst Büther, Florin Homorean, Martine Blondeel, Lenka Nemcová, Romano Ruggeri Executive summary: The IRI took place from 14 to 17 June 2016 in Graz. Besides the interviews that were held at the Burg Graz also a site visit to a Stölzle – Oberglas GmbH facility was undertaken during the IRI. The scope of the IRI was on environmental inspection at IED installation by the Province of Styria and the competent authority (District Authority). Never the less some conclusions, good practices and opportunities for the developments were also addressed on the permitting process. The IRI team admired the thorough preparation of the IRI by the colleagues of Styria and their open communication with the team. Although a number of opportunities of developments have been identified the team agreed that all ingredients are in place to be able to comply to the RMCEI and the IED (art 23). Further streamlining of procedures, tasks and legislation would only be needed for a very successful implementation. The most important opportunities of development are: - To enhance the role of the Province regarding environmental inspections - To change the steps and procedures for planning of inspections - To develop handbooks, guidance and training plan for the coordinators (inspectors) - To strengthen the role of the coordinator (inspector) regarding the environmental inspections. Let them act more as an inspector than a coordinator Disclaimer: This report is the result of a project within the IMPEL network. The content does not necessarily represent the view of the national administrations. Page 2 Introduction to IMPEL The European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) is an international non-profit association of the environmental authorities of the EU Member States, acceding and candidate countries of the European Union and EEA countries. The association is registered in Belgium and its legal seat is in Bruxelles, Belgium. IMPEL was set up in 1992 as an informal Network of European regulators and authorities concerned with the implementation and enforcement of environmental law. The Network’s objective is to create the necessary impetus in the European Community to make progress on ensuring a more effective application of environmental legislation. The core of the IMPEL activities concerns awareness raising, capacity building and exchange of information and experiences on implementation, enforcement and international enforcement collaboration as well as promoting and supporting the practicability and enforceability of European environmental legislation. During the previous years, IMPEL has developed into a considerable, widely known organisation, being mentioned in a number of EU legislative and policy documents, e.g. the 6th Environment Action Programme and the Recommendation on Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections. The expertise and experience of the participants within IMPEL make the network uniquely qualified to work on both technical and regulatory aspects of EU environmental legislation. Information on the IMPEL Network is also available through its website at www.impel.eu. Page 3 Table of contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. The IRI Scheme ................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2. Purpose of the IRI ............................................................................................................................. 5 1.3. Scope of the IRI in Austria (Graz) ...................................................................................................... 5 1.4. Structure ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Part A – Regulatory framework of environmental protection in Austria / Styria. ............................. 7 2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1. Institutions ........................................................................................................................................ 8 2.2. Legislation ....................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3. Environmental policy ...................................................................................................................... 12 2.4. Implementation of the IED directive .............................................................................................. 12 2.5. Styria ............................................................................................................................................... 15 2.6. Coordinators of directorate 15 ....................................................................................................... 19 2.7. The formal experts of directorate 15 ............................................................................................. 20 2.8. External interaction ........................................................................................................................ 22 3. Part C – Performing inspection tasks (Environmental Inspection Cycle) ......................................... 23 3.1. Planning of inspections ................................................................................................................... 24 2.1. Execution framework ..................................................................................................................... 27 2.2. Execution and reporting ................................................................................................................. 28 2.3. Performance monitoring ................................................................................................................ 32 4. Part D – Site visit ........................................................................................................................... 33 5. Summary of findings ..................................................................................................................... 38 5.1. Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 38 5.2. Good practices ................................................................................................................................ 39 5.3. Opportunities of development ....................................................................................................... 40 Annex 1: Environmental Inspection Cycle .............................................................................................. 42 Annex 2: Terms of Reference for IMPEL project ..................................................................................... 43 Page 4 1. Introduction 1.1. The IRI Scheme The IRI scheme is a voluntary scheme providing for informal reviews of environmental authorities in IMPEL Member countries. It was set up to implement the European Parliament and Council Recommendation (2001/331/EC) providing for minimum criteria for environmental inspections (RMCEI), where it states: “Member States should assist each other administratively in operating this Recommendation. The establishment by Member States in cooperation with IMPEL of reporting and advice schemes relating to inspectorates and inspection procedures would help to promote best practice across the Community.” 1.2. Purpose of the IRI The aims of the IRI are to: • Provide advice to environmental authorities seeking an external review of their structure, operation or performance by experts from other IMPEL member countries for the purpose of benchmarking and continuous improvement of their organisation; • Encourage capacity building in environmental authorities in IMPEL member countries; • Encourage the exchange of experience and collaboration between these authorities on common issues and problems; • Spread good practice leading to improved quality of the work of environmental authorities and contributing to continuous improvement of quality and consistency of application of environmental law across IMPEL member countries (˝the level playing field˝). The IRI is an informal review, not an audit process. The IRI is intended to enable the environmental authority and review team to explore how the authority carries out its tasks. It aims at identifying areas of good practice for dissemination together with opportunities to develop existing practice within the authority and authorities in other IMPEL member countries. 1.3. Scope of the IRI in Austria (Graz) The IRI uses a questionnaire to review the environmental authority against the requirements of the RMCEI and the IED. The IMPEL