(1)

In order to address the need for implementation and compliance information, amendments of several pieces of environmental legislation should be introduced taking into account the results of the Commission Report on Actions to Streamline Environmental Report (45) and its related Fitness Check (46).

(1)

In order to address the need for implementation and compliance information, amendments of several pieces of legislation related to the environment should be introduced, taking into account the results of the Commission Report on Actions to Streamline Environmental Report (45) and its related Fitness Check (46).

(1a)

This Regulation seeks to modernise information management and ensure a more consistent approach to the legislative acts within its scope by simplifying reporting so as to reduce the administrative burden, enhancing the database for future evaluations, and increasing transparency for the benefit of the public, each time in accordance with the circumstances.

(2)

It is necessary that accessibility to data should ensure that the administrative burden on all entities remains as limited as possible. It requires active dissemination at national level in accordance with Directives 2003/4/EC (47) and 2007/2/EC (48) of the European Parliament and of the Council and their implementing rules, to ensure the appropriate infrastructure for public access, reporting and data-sharing between public authorities.

(2)

It is necessary that accessibility to data should ensure that the administrative burden on all entities remains as limited as possible , especially on non-governmental entities such as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) . It requires active dissemination at national level in accordance with Directives 2003/4/EC (47) and 2007/2/EC (48) of the European Parliament and of the Council and their implementing rules, to ensure the appropriate infrastructure for public access, reporting and data-sharing between public authorities.

(3)

Data reported by Member States are essential for the Commission to monitor, review and assess the performance of the legislation against the objectives it pursues in order to inform any future evaluation of the legislation, in accordance with paragraph 22 of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016 (49). It is appropriate to add provisions to several legislative acts in the environmental sector for the purpose of their future evaluation, on the basis of data collected during implementation, possibly complemented by additional scientific, analytical data. In that context, there is a need for relevant data that will allow better assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, coherence and EU value added of Union legislation, hence the necessity to ensure appropriate reporting mechanisms that can also serve as indicators for this purpose.

(3)

The process of Member States’ comprehensive and timely reporting of relevant data is essential for the Commission to monitor, review and assess the performance of the legislation against the objectives it pursues in order to inform any future evaluation of the legislation, in accordance with paragraph 22 of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016 (49). It is appropriate to add provisions to several legislative acts in the environmental sector for the purpose of their future evaluation, on the basis of data collected during implementation, possibly complemented by additional scientific, analytical data. In that context, there is a need for relevant data that will allow better assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, coherence and EU value added of Union legislation, hence the necessity to ensure appropriate reporting mechanisms that can also serve as indicators for this purpose both for decision-makers and for the general public .

(5)

In accordance with the evaluation of Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (50) there is a need to streamline the reporting deadlines for noise maps and action plans to allow sufficient time for public consultation of action plans. To that end, and for one time only, the deadline for the review or revision of the action plans is postponed by one year so that the deadline of the next round (the fourth round) of action plans is not 18 July 2023 but 18 July 2024. Thus, from the fourth round onwards, the Member States will have approximately two years between making the noise maps and completing the review or revision of action plans instead of one year as currently the case. For the following rounds of action planning, the five years cycle for the review or revision will then resume. Moreover, in order to better meet the objectives of the Directive 2002/49/EC and to provide a basis for developing measures at Union level, reporting by Member States should be carried out by electronic means. It is also necessary to enhance public participation by requiring certain information to be made publicly available while aligning this obligation to other Union legislation, such as Directive 2007/2/EC, without duplicating practical requirements.

(5)

In accordance with the evaluation of Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (50) there is a need to streamline the reporting deadlines for noise maps and action plans to allow sufficient time for public consultation of action plans. To that end, and for one time only, the deadline for the review or revision of the action plans is postponed by one year so that the deadline of the next round (the fourth round) of action plans is not 18 July 2023 but 18 July 2024. Thus, from the fourth round onwards, the Member States will have approximately two years between making the noise maps and completing the review or revision of action plans instead of one year as currently the case. For the following rounds of action planning, the five years cycle for the review or revision will then resume. Moreover, in order to better meet the objectives of the Directive 2002/49/EC and to provide a basis for developing measures at Union level, reporting by Member States should be carried out by electronic means. It is also necessary to enhance public participation by requiring comprehensible, accurate and comparable information to be made publicly available while aligning this obligation to other Union legislation, such as Directive 2007/2/EC, without duplicating practical requirements.

(7)

Based on the Commission report to the Council and the European Parliament concerning the implementation of Directive 2007/2/EC and the REFIT evaluation (52), it is appropriate, with a view to simplifying the implementation of that Directive and reducing administrative burden related to monitoring by Member States, to no longer require Member States to send to the Commission triennial reports, and the Commission to present to the European Parliament and to the Council a summary report, because the reporting Fitness Check confirmed the limited use of such reports (53).

(7)

Based on the Commission report to the Council and the European Parliament concerning the implementation of Directive 2007/2/EC and the REFIT evaluation (52), it is appropriate, with a view to simplifying the implementation of that Directive and reducing administrative burden related to monitoring by Member States, to no longer require Member States to send to the Commission triennial reports, and the Commission to present to the European Parliament and to the Council a summary report, because the reporting Fitness Check confirmed the limited use of such reports (53). Nevertheless, the Commission should continue to carry out, at regular intervals, an evaluation of that Directive and make that evaluation publicly available.

(9)

It is necessary to amend the reporting obligations laid down in Articles 43, 54 and 57 of Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (56). These provisions include, with the objective of improving transparency and reducing administrative burden, the establishment of a central, open-access searchable database for non-technical project summaries and related retrospective assessments, conferral of implementing powers on the Commission to establish a common format for the submission of non-technical project summaries and related retrospective assessments, information on implementation and replacing the three-yearly statistical reporting by the Commission by the requirement of setting up a dynamic central database hosted by the Commission and releasing information on a yearly basis.

(9)

It is necessary to amend the reporting obligations laid down in Articles 43, 54, 57 and 58 of Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (56). These provisions include, with the objective of improving transparency and reducing administrative burden, the establishment of a central, open-access searchable database for non-technical project summaries and related retrospective assessments, conferral of implementing powers on the Commission to establish a common format for the submission of non-technical project summaries and related retrospective assessments, information on implementation and replacing the three-yearly statistical reporting by the Commission by the requirement of setting up a dynamic central database hosted by the Commission and releasing information on a yearly basis. In light of a Commission report in 2017  (56a) , the clause for a review of that Directive as laid down in Article 58 therein should be reconsidered with a view to a future revision.

(14a)

Directives 86/278/EEC, 2002/49/EC, 2004/35/EC, 2007/2/EC, 2009/147/EC and 2010/63/EU, Regulations (EC) No 166/2006 and (EU) No 995/2010, and Regulations (EC) No 338/97 and (EC) No 2173/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly,

‘(db)

“spatial data set”: means an identifiable collection of spatial data as defined in Article 3(3) of Directive 2007/2/EC.’.

(d)

the names and addresses of the recipients of the sludge and the place where the sludge is to be used;

(e)

any other information with regard to the transposition and implementation of this Directive provided by the Member States to the Commission pursuant to Article 17.

4a.

4b.

5.

Annex VI point 3 is replaced by the following:

5.

Annex VI point 3 is deleted.

3.

The Commission, assisted by the European Environment Agency, shall develop a mandatory digital information exchange mechanism to share the information from the strategic noise maps and summaries of action plans, as referred to in Article 10 (2) in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 13(3).

(ba)

an analysis of the developments and relevant changes in the Member States.

2a.

(ca)

relevant judicial proceedings;

(aa)

in paragraph 2, the following point is inserted:

2a.

(c)

Without prejudice to Article 20, the management authorities of the Member States shall, one year before each meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, communicate to the Commission all the information relating to the relevant preceding period required for drawing up the reports referred to in Article VIII.7 (b) of the Convention and equivalent information on the provisions of this Regulation that fall outside the scope of the Convention. The information to be communicated and the format for its presentation shall be specified by the Commission in accordance with the regulatory procedure referred to in Article 18(2).

(c)

Without prejudice to Article 20, the management authorities of the Member States shall, one year before each meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, communicate to the Commission all the information relating to the relevant preceding period required for drawing up the reports referred to in Article VIII.7 (b) of the Convention and equivalent information on the provisions of this Regulation that fall outside the scope of the Convention. The format for its presentation shall be specified by the Commission in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 18(2).