The Council's common position incorporates, in full or in part, 25 of the 57 amendments voted by the European Parliament at first reading, viz.:
- a new recital on the operator's responsibility;
- guaranteed public access to information before any decision on permits is taken;
- limitation of the scope of the directive to the industries listed in Annex I;
- inclusion of finished products in the directive (radio-active substances are still excluded);
- inclusion of vibration in the definitions of pollution and emissions (lighting is still excluded);
- definition of substantial change in operation as a change which may have an adverse impact on the environment;
- a new article on the operator's basic obligations;
- a note to the effect that an existing installation complies with the directive if a permit meets the requirements of the directive;
- a more flexible requirement as regards the inclusion of measures relating to final closure in the permit;
- the presentation of Commission proposals on the basis of an exchange of information, where action is needed at Community level;
- Annex I (categories of industrial activities): introduction of surface treatment installations using an electrolytic or chemical process; introduction of hazardous and non-hazardous waste incineration installations; lower threshold for paper pulp production plants.
- Annex III (water): introduction of biocides and plant health products.
In addition, the Council introduced the following new elements:
- extension of the definition of existing installation to installations for which a full application for a permit has been filed, subject to compliance with certain conditions;
- introduction of a reference to costs and benefits in the definition of best available techniques (BATs);
- a transitional period of eight years for existing installations;
- references to the protection of groundwater and waste management in the article relating to the conditions for obtaining a permit; limit values must be based on BATs and a reference is introduced to the need for the technical characteristics and local environmental conditions to be taken into account when establishing emission limit values and the need to ensure that there is protection against cross-border pollution;
- addition of specific provisions applicable to intensive agricultural units;
- establishment of an inventory of sources of pollution within the framework of the directive;
- reports on the implementation of the directive and its efficiency as regards environmental protection, to be presented by the Commission to the Council, where necessary with proposals for action;
- a new article concerning the laying down of Community emission limit values by the Council at the proposal of the Commission for the categories of installations listed in Annex I, taking account of the indicative list of the main pollutants listed in Annex III;
- the deadline for implementation of the directive (three years after publication).�