23 July 2022
Under the organization of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency and the project’s implementing partners, Participatio Ltd and REC Albania, a meeting of national stakeholders was held on the development of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) in Kosovo.
The purpose of the meeting was to: provide an overview of the legal, institutional and technical needs, as well as capacity-building needs, for the development of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) and the implementation of the requirements of the EU Regulation on the E-PRTR (EC) No. 166/2006 and the UNECE PRTR Protocol; identify current challenges and further needs; discuss the role of authorities, operators and NGOs in this process; as well as discuss recommendations and determine the next steps regarding the development of an operational PRTR, together with authorities and stakeholders.
In addition to representatives from KEPA and MESPIs, the workshop was attended by representatives of civil society organizations, economic operators, and representatives of other government institutions.
The meeting was held as part of the activities under the project “Improving Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) in the Western Balkan Countries and the Republic of Moldova”, supported by the Government of Germany, namely the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, under the supervision of the German Environment Agency.
The objective of the project is to prepare the Western Balkan countries to fulfil the obligations arising from the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, the Electronic Reporting Requirements for the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), as well as the requirements of the PRTR Protocol.
As one of the beneficiaries of this project, KEPA will receive support not only for reviewing the legal framework for the PRTR, but also for developing an online PRTR reporting system and building the capacity of institutions and economic operators for reporting and maintaining the register.