EU MEMBER STATES and the European Parliament have reached a preliminary agreement on curbing industrial emissions, including those from intensive poultry and pig farms and from ore mines.

The deal, struck late last night, would “reduce harmful emissions from industry and improve public access to information,” the European Council, representing member states, said in a statement.

The lead EU lawmaker on the file, Radan Kanev, said it would “significantly” reduce emissions “without creating further red tape for industries and farmers” while bringing in stiff fines for companies violating it.

The agreement, which still has to be formally adopted, aims to bring down air, soil and water pollution from companies by revising existing rules on emissions and landfill of waste.

#TRILOGUE | Deal! @EUCouncil and @Europarl_EN reach a provisional political agreement on:

📌industrial emissions
📌industrial emissions portal

The new rules offer better protection of human health and the environment by reducing harmful emissions from industrial installations. pic.twitter.com/KjH75134bt

— Presidencia española del Consejo de la UE (@eu2023es) November 29, 2023

It would also update a European pollutant release and transfer register known as E-PRTR.

The parliament noted in a statement that emissions from big agricultural companies can lead to health problems “such as asthma, bronchitis and cancer”.

Intensive pig farms with more than 350 animals and poultry farms with more than 300 laying hens would come under the scope of the updated rules, starting from 2030 for the biggest farms.

The industrial mining of ores such as iron, copper, gold, nickel and platinum would also come under the updated rules, and the European Commission may end up including the mining of industrial minerals at a later stage.

Each EU country would be responsible for issuing permits to companies affected by the rules, if they can show they meet relevant standards.

Penalties for violators are designed to reflect the gravity of the infringement, and will include fines ranging to at least three percent of a company’s annual turnover in the EU.

Once the member countries and the European Parliament formally sign off on the agreement, it will come into force three weeks after being published in the EU’s official administrative gazette.

It will be subject to commission review every five years, starting from 2028.

© AFP 2023