ENVIRONMENT : COMMISSION STEPS UP DRIVE TO CUT INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION.

Streamlining existing legislation and strengthening measures on the prevention and control of industrial pollution are the two major components of a draft directive presented by the European Commission on 21 December (see Europolitics 3432).

BETTER LEGISLATION

The proposal clearly forms part of the better legislation strategy, since there are currently seven overlapping directives covering similar activities related to air, water and soil pollution.

The future directive, which consolidates seven directives into a single text, will not only revise Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC), but will also toughen up the provisions of the six sector-specific directives: 1999/13/EC on limiting emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain industrial installations; 2000/76/EC on waste incineration; 2001/80/EC on limiting emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants (known as the Large Combustion Plants Directive); 78/176/EEC on waste from the titanium dioxide industry; 82/883/EEC on procedures for the surveillance and monitoring of environments concerned by waste from the titanium dioxide industry; and 92/112/EEC on procedures for harmonising programmes for the reduction and eventual elimination of pollution caused by waste from the titanium dioxide...