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Ecologic Institute writes a legal commentary on the German PRTR-Act. Under this law and an EU-Regulation, operators of certain installations in Germany have to report data on pollutants for publication in a German as well as to a European pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR). The legal commentary is mainly addressed at authorities and operators to facilitate the application of the rules without in-depth knowledge on their legal background.

Electronic pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTR) make available to the public information on the environment and enhance transparency and environmental awareness.

Germany has a legal obligation under an international treaty,  the PRTR-Protocol, to create a German PRTR. In addition, an EU-regulation requires Germany to obtain emissions data and provide it to the EU for a European PRTR. The German PRTR Act addresses both issues. It requires operators of certain installations to report data on pollutant releases and transfers to authorities, and sets out the structure of the German PRTR and the reporting to the European PRTR.

The complex interplay between national, European and international rules creates difficulties in applying the German PRTR Act in practice. Ecologic Institute writes a legal commentary on the PRTR Act for the Federal Environment Agency, providing clear and understandable guidance for applying the Act and legal certainty in daily practice.  Having addressed legal aspects of the German and European PRTR for authorities for several years, Ecologic collates, updates and supplements the existing analyses and briefs in one commentary.