So far no State has yet ratified the PRTR Protocol, which was adopted at the Kiev 'Environment for Europe' Ministerial Conference on 21 May 2003. Yet several of its 37 signatories reported at the second meeting of the Working Group that preparations are well underway to implement the Protocol at the national and, in the case of the EU member States, regional level, laying the ground for expected ratification of the instrument in late 2006.
To further preparation for entry into force, the session reviewed options for rules of procedure and a compliance mechanism to the Protocol and appointed a facilitator to prepare draft elements for these for consideration at its next session. Participants gave the draft guidance on the Protocol on PRTRs its first reading and agreed to prepare a final version based on the drafts circulated and amended during the session, with the aim of completing the guidance in 2005.
The session also called attention to the need to address the capacity of EECCA countries to implement the Protocol successfully and called for greater outreach to the business sector, which has indirect obligations to report to national PRTRs. NGOs cautioned the Working Group about a potential conflict of interest which could be raised by the regulated sector’s representatives participating directly in any future compliance committee to the treaty.
The secretariat reported on a revised study of the costs of implementing the Protocol in ECE countries and invited delegations to participate in a trial of the cost model developed to support the study.
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