DIRECTIVE 1999/13/CE

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) resulting from certain industrial activities

1) OBJECTIVE

To prevent or reduce the direct and indirect effects of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the environment and on human health, by setting emission limits for such compounds and laying down operating conditions for industrial installations using organic solvents.

2) COMMUNITY MEASURES

Council Directive 1999/13/EC of 11 March 1999 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations.

3) CONTENTS

The Directive is part of the global strategy to reduce pollution due to tropospheric ozone. It complements the Auto-oil programme by combating emissions of organic solvents from stationary commercial and industrial sources, and the 1994 Directive on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations.

Industries which use volatile organic solvents and are covered by the Directive are listed in the Annex to the Directive. For most of the activities concerned, the Directive specifies a consumption threshold above which its provisions apply.

Member States must take the necessary measures to ensure that all new installations comply with the provisions of the Directive. Moreover, all new installations not already covered by Directive 96/61/EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control must be registered or authorised before being put into service.

Existing installations must be registered or their activities authorised if they have not yet been authorised under Council Directive 96/61/EC. They must comply with the same requirements as for new installations no later than 30 October 2007.

Where part of an existing installation undergoes a substantial change, it must comply with the requirements applicable to new installations.

The industrial operators concerned can conform with the specified emission limits in either of the following ways:

• by installing equipment to reduce emissions to comply with the emission limit values and the fugitive emission values, or total emission limit values;
• by introducing a reduction scheme to arrive at an equivalent emission level, in particular by replacing conventional products which are high in solvents with low-solvent or solvent-free products.

Solvents containing substances likely to have a serious effect on human health (carcinogens, mutagens, or toxic to reproduction), must be replaced, as far as possible, by less harmful substances within the shortest possible time. Stricter emission values are specified for harmful substances.

Member States may define and implement national plans for reducing emissions from the activities and industrial installations covered by Article 1 (excluding activities 4 and 11 of Annex IIA). The plans must result in a reduction of the annual emissions of VOCs from existing installations covered by this Directive by at least the same amount and within the same time-frame as would have been achieved by applying the emission limits under the Directive.

The national plan must include:

• a list of the measures taken or to be taken;
• binding interim reduction targets against which progress towards the aim can be measured;
• a full description of the range of instruments through which its requirements will be achieved, evidence that these instruments will be enforceable and details of the means by which compliance with the plan will be demonstrated.

The Member States must submit the plan to the Commission for approval.

The Commission must ensure that an exchange of information between Member States and the activities concerned on the use of organic substances and their potential substitutes takes place.

It must consider the potential effects on human health in general and occupational exposure in particular, potential effects on the environment, and the economic consequences with a view to providing recommendations on the use of substances and techniques which have the least potential effects on air, water, soil, ecosystems and human health.

Following the exchange of information, the Commission must publish recommendations for each activity.

The Member States must take the necessary measures to ensure that the public has access to information concerning:

• applications for authorisation for new installations or for substantial changes to installations,
• the decision of the competent authority, including at least a copy of the authorisation, and any subsequent updates,
• the general binding rules applicable to installations and the list of registered and authorised activities,
• the results of emission-monitoring as required under the authorisation or registration conditions.

The Commission is assisted by a committee of an advisory nature composed of representatives of the Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission.

Every three years, Member States must submit a report to the Commission on the implementation of the Directive.

4) DEADLINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LEGISLATION IN THE MEMBER STATES

30.03.2001

5) DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE (if different from the above)

29.03.1999

6) REFERENCES

Official Journal L 85, 29.03.1999
Amended opinion
Official Journal L 188, 21.07.1999

7) FOLLOW-UP WORK

8) COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING MEASURES

9) BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://europa.eu.int/

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