About PRTR

Regulation (EC) No. 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (E-PRTR Regulation) concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), was entered into force on 24.2.2006. The E-PRTR Regulation repealed the Commission Decision 2000/479/EC (European Pollutant Emission Register-EPER) which was issued under Section 15 of the Directive for the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control ( Directive IPPC, 2008/1/EC ), following the submission of the 2 ^nd EPER Report by the Member States in 2006. After this regulation amended by Regulation EC Nr.596 / 2009.

The E-PRTR Regulation establishes an integrated Pollutant Release and Transfer Register at Community level in the form of a publicly accessible database. This Regulation also lays down rules for the operation of the Registry in order to implement the relevant UNECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers signed by the European Union in 2003 that has been issued under the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.

The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register contains comparable data for pollutant releases to air, water and land as well as off-site transfers of waste and of pollutants in waste water from facilities at Community level. It also aims in tracking trends, demonstrating progress in pollution reduction and in evaluating progress on compliance with environmental goals set by each Member State in International Agreements and Conventions.

According to the provisions of the E-PRTR Regulation, Member States of the European Union since 2009, have the obligation to submit an annual report on pollutant releases to air, water and land as well as off-site transfers of waste and of pollutants in waste water from facilities that undertake one or more of the activities specified in Annex I and have emissions above the thresholds specified in Annex II of the E-PRTR Regulation.

Albania, as well as the other Member States, has the obligation to maintain the above mentioned Register at a national level and also to report the data included in the register to the European Commission and the European Environment Agency.