12. July 2023 | Yesterday, the EU Parliament’s position on the industrial emission directive and the directive on the landfill of waste was adopted by MEPs with nearly 63 % of all votes in favour.
With this vote, Parliament has defined its position for the negotiations with the Council on rules to reduce pollution and control large agro-industrial installations in the context of the green transition.
On the regulation on the Industrial Emissions Portal, MEPs voted even more clearly: about 89 % of the votes support this regulation. The new portal, where citizens cann accress data on all EU permits an local polluting activities, will be the result of a transformation of the European Pollutant release and Transfer Register.
New: Obligations to apply to mines and battery factories
MEPs backed the Commission proposal to extend the IED to extractive industry installations (mines) and large installations manufacturing batteries (except for those exclusively assembling battery modules and battery packs). The directive obliges them to further reduce air, water and soil pollution.
No changes for livestock farming
Concerning livestock farms, MEPs voted to keep the current rules and include pig farms with more than 2 000 places for production pigs (over 30 kg), or with more than 750 places for sows and poultry farms with more than 40 000 places for poultry as well as farms with more than 750 livestock units (LSU). Parliament does not want to extend it to cattle farms as proposed by the Commission. The Commission originally proposed a threshold of 150 LSU for all livestock. MEPs also underline the importance of ensuring producers outside the EU meet requirements similar to EU rules.
After the vote, rapporteur Radan Kanev (EPP, Bulgaria), said: “Better environmental protection does not need to lead to more bureaucracy. Innovation is key to achieving zero pollution and for this, we need a more competitive European industrial sector. EU policy must be realistic, economically feasible, and not threaten competitiveness. Our position provides breathing space for businesses by giving them reasonable transition periods to prepare for the new requirements, fast-track procedures for permits and flexibility to develop emerging techniques.”
Next steps
Parliament is now ready to start negotiations with Council on the final shape of the legislation.
