Third BERCEN Plenary Meeting

1
Third BERCEN Plenary Meeting

• Recent developments and activities of the IMPEL
  network
• Sabine Sommer
• IMPEL Secretariat

2
Content of the presentation

• Organisation of IMPEL Link to BERCEN and
  strategic planning of activities
• The IMPEL Review Initiative
• Transboundary movement of waste IMPEL TFS
• Main activities in 2005

3
Organisation of IMPEL Link to BERCEN

• Croatia joined IMPEL as 30th country.
• IMPEL rules
• BERCEN considered as a network with close links
  to IMPEL generally to be invited to the first
  IMPEL Plenary Meeting of the year reporting
  point on agenda of all future Plenaries.
• 24th IMPEL Plenary Meeting noted the call
• to strengthen the links to BERCEN, in
  particular by providing expertise to peer reviews
  and reporting exercises

4
Organisation of IMPEL Strategic planning of
IMPEL activities

• IMPELs multi-annual work programme
• Capacity building Strenghtening organisations
  by, for example, benchmarking between
  environmental authorities, including reviews of
  their structure
• Improving methodologies Making our work more
  efficient and effective with an emphasis on
  prioritising, programming and planning and the
  development of enforcement indicators.
• Development of good practices Learning from
  each other and showing results of our work, in
  particular for the inspection and permitting
  processes and procedures.

5
Organisation of IMPEL Strategic planning of
IMPEL activities

• IMPELs multi-annual work programme
• Examining new approaches in as well our regular
  work as potentially effective alternatives to
  regulation.
• Contribution to the better lawmaking process by
  providing feedback to policy makers on the
  practicality and enforceability of environmental
  legislation.
• Promotion of IMPEL and dissemination of its
  products.

6
The IMPEL Review Initiative

• RMCEI includes several references to IMPEL
• point III, para 3 trans-boundary co-operation
• point IX, para 2minimum criteria concerning
  the qualifications of environmental inspectors
• point IX, para 3develop training programmes
• point III, para 4 establishment of a scheme,
  under which MS report and offer advice on
  inspectorates and inspection proceduresgtIMPEL
  Review Initiative

7
The IMPEL Review Initiative

• Objectives
• Encouragement of capacitybuilding in EU Member
  State inspectorates.
• Encouragement of further collaboration between EU
  Member State inspectorates.
• Provision of advice to inspectorates (candidate
  inspectorates)
• Spread of good practice leading to improved
  quality of inspectorates and inspections.
• Contribution to continuous improvement of quality
  and consistency on application of environmental
  law across the EU (the levelplaying-field).

8
The IMPEL Review Initiative

• Scope
• The legal and constitutional bases of the
  inspectorate.
• Structure and managerial organisation.
• Workload and associated resources.
• Qualifications, skills and experience of
  regulatory staff.
• Procedures for assessment of training needs.
• Procedures, criteria and guidance for drafting of
  permits, for planning inspections, etc.
• Arrangements for internal assessment of the
  quality of regulatory performance.
• Arrangements for reporting on inspectorate
  activities.

9
The IMPEL Review Initiative

• IMPEL has carried out seven reviews so far
• (BE, DE, DK, ES, FR, IE, NL) next IRI in SE.
• Positive evaluation of the scheme and
  recommendation to continue.
• Reports on the IRI contain valuable information
• (good practices) on management of inspectorates
  and inspections not only for the host country.
• IRI reports published on the web
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/environment/impel/report
  s.htmminimum

10
IMPEL TFS

• Objectives
• Promote compliance with the EU Regulation 259/93
  through enforcement.
• Carry out joint inspections and enforcement
  projects.
• Promote exchange of knowledge and experience with
  the enforcement of the EU Regulation 259/93.
• Enhance cooperation among the different
  authorities involved in TFS and establish network
  of contacts.

11
Main activities in 2005

• Commissions evaluation of IMPEL.
• TFS projects (Seaport project, verification of
  the destination of notified waste).
• Workshop on the VOC Directive.
• IMPEL Better Legislation Cluster.
• Workshop Lessons learnt from accidents.
• Ongoing projects on IPPC and Health, Emissions
  Trading, Inspectan (Tanneries) and informal
  resolution of environmental conflicts through
  dialogue.