PURPOSE: the setting of national ceilings for emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia with a view to remedying the problems of acidification, trophospheric ozone and soil eutrophication.
CONTENT: The central feature is the ceilings set for emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia in each Member State. These ceilings are to be complied with by 2010 at the latest.
Member States are required to draw up programmes for the progressive reduction of their annual national emissions and report them to the Commission before the end of 2002. the programmes are to be updated and revised by 2006.
Member States are required to prepare and regularly update national emission inventories and emission projections for 2010 for SO2, NOx, VOC and NH3. These inventories and projections must be reported to the Commission each year. In combination with the national programmes, the inventories will provide essential input on progress towards the ceilings, and will show whether Member States are complying with their ceilings.
The Commission must report at regular intervals (2004, 2008 and 2012) to Parliament and the Council on progress in the implementation of the ceilings and towards attaining the interim environmental objectives. These reports must include an economic assessment, including cost-effectiveness, benefits, an assessment of marginal costs and benefits, impact on competitiveness, and the expected socio-economic impact in the different Member States of the implementation of the national emission ceilings. They will also consider the limitations applied to the scope of the Directive. In addition to Member States' reports, as described above, the Commission will take account of and explore other aspects relevant to these reports, such as:
- emission reductions and reduction commitments by non-Community countries;
- the enlargement process;
- new Community legislation and any international regulations concerning ship emissions;
- new technical and scientific data;
- assessment of current and projected exceedance of critical loads and of the World Health Organisation's guideline values for tropospheric ozone;
- new livestock projections reflecting developments in the Common Agricultural Policy;
- new energy forecasts reflecting the actions taken by the Member States to comply with the Kyoto Agreement;
- the identification of an interim objective for reducing soil eutrophication.
The Commission's reports will, if appropriate, be accompanied by proposals for modifications of the national emission ceilings of the proposed directive, for measures to ensure compliance with the ceilings, and for possible further emission reductions.�