CHAPTER XXVII

ENVIRONMENT13aProtocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental MattersKiev, 21 May 2003Entry into force8 October 2009, in accordance with article 27(1).Registration8 October 2009, No. 37770StatusSignatories38Parties321TextDoc. MP.PP/2003/1<superscript>2</superscript>The above Protocol was adopted on 21 May 2003 by the Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention of 25 June 1998 on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, held in Kiev from 21 to 23 May 2003. The Protocol was opened for signature from 21 to 23 May 2003 in Kiev and will remain open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York until 31 December 2003 by all States which are members of the United Nations and by regional economic integration organizations constituted by sovereign States members of the United Nations to which their member States have transferred competence over matters governed by the Protocol, including the competence to enter into treaties in respect of these matters.

ParticipantSignature, Succession to signature(d)Approval(AA), Acceptance(A), Accession(a), Succession(d), RatificationAlbania16 Jun 2009 aArmenia21 May 2003 Austria21 May 2003 23 Mar 2010 Belgium21 May 2003 12 Mar 2009 Bosnia and Herzegovina21 May 2003 Bulgaria21 May 2003 15 Jan 2010 Croatia23 May 2003 14 Jul 2008 Cyprus21 May 2003 5 Nov 2012 Czech Republic21 May 2003 12 Aug 2009 Denmark<superscript>3</superscript>21 May 2003 13 Oct 2008 Estonia21 May 2003 15 Aug 2007 AAEuropean Union21 May 2003 21 Feb 2006 AAFinland21 May 2003 21 Apr 2009 AFrance21 May 2003 10 Jul 2009 AAGeorgia21 May 2003 Germany21 May 2003 28 Aug 2007 Greece21 May 2003 Hungary21 May 2003 13 Jul 2009 Ireland21 May 2003 20 Jun 2012 Israel14 Jan 2013 aItaly21 May 2003 Latvia21 May 2003 24 Apr 2008 Lithuania21 May 2003 5 Mar 2009 Luxembourg21 May 2003 7 Feb 2006 Montenegro<superscript>4</superscript>23 Oct 2006 dNetherlands21 May 2003 11 Feb 2008 ANorway21 May 2003 27 Jun 2008 AAPoland21 May 2003 25 Sep 2012 Portugal21 May 2003 8 Oct 2009 Republic of Moldova21 May 2003 Romania21 May 2003 26 Aug 2009 Serbia21 May 2003 23 Nov 2011 Slovakia 1 Apr 2008 aSlovenia22 May 2003 23 Apr 2010 Spain21 May 2003 24 Sep 2009 Sweden21 May 2003 15 Oct 2008 Switzerland21 May 2003 27 Apr 2007 Tajikistan21 May 2003 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia21 May 2003 2 Nov 2010 Ukraine21 May 2003 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland21 May 2003 31 Jul 2009 BelgiumUpon signature:Declaration:This signature engages also the Waloon region, the Flemish region, and the Brussels-Capital region.DenmarkUpon signature:Declaration:“Both the Faroe Islands and Greeland are self-governing under Home Rule Acts, which implies <i>inter alia </i> that environmental affairs in general and the areas covered by the Protocol are governed by the right of self-determination.Signing by Denmark of the Protocol, therefore does not necessarily mean that Danish ratification will in due course include the Faroe Islands and Greenland.”European UnionDeclaration:Declaration by the European Community in accordance with article 26(4)"The European Community declares that, in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular article 175 (1) thereof, it is competent for entering into international agreements, and for implementing the obligations resulting therefrom, which contribute to the pursuit of the following objectives:preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment,protecting human health,prudent and rational utilization of natural resources,promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems.Pollutant release and transfer registers are appropriate tools for encouraging improvements in environmental performance, for providing public access to information on pollutants released, and for use by competent authorities in tracking trends, demonstrating progress, thereby contributing to the achievement of the abovementioned objectives.Moreover, the European Community declares that it has already adopted legislation, binding on its Member States, covering matters governed by this Protocol and will submit and update, as appropriate, a list of that legislation in accordance with article 26 (4) of the Protocol.The European Community is responsible for the performance of those obligations resulting from the Protocol which are covered by Community law in force.The exercise of Community competence is, by its nature, subject to continuous development."FranceDeclaration:France hereby declares that the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (with four annexes), signed at Kiev on 21 May 2003, shall be applicable, in the case of France, to the same territories as the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (with two annexes), done at Aarhus on 25 June 1998.Israel“The Government of Israel ratifies the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) and declares in accordance with Article 23 (2), that it accepts the arbitration procedure set out in annex IV, as the only means of disputes settlement within the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR).”SerbiaDeclaration:“For a dispute not resolved in accordance with Article 23 paragraph 1, the Republic of Serbia accepts the following means of dispute settlement: submission of the dispute to the International Court of Justice (Article 23, paragraph 2, subparagraph a).”1For the purpose of entry into force of the [Convention/Protocol] , any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by member States of that Organization.2In the course of adopting the Protocol, the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention made an oral modification to the French version of the Protocol to correct some typographical errors, thereby bringing the text in line with the English and Russian versions. The modifications made to the French version were as follows: - In annex I on Activities, para. 1(c), the text should refer to ‘50 mégawatts’ and not to ‘500 mégawatts’; - In annex II on Pollutants, in No. 31 the text in the third column should read ‘Chloroalcanes, C10-C13)’, and in No. 57, third column, ‘(TRI)’ should be deleted; - In annex II, the column headings ‘(colonne 1a)’, ‘’(colonne 1b)’, ‘(colonne 1c)’ and ‘(colonne 3)’ should be included in the French version as in the English and Russian versions, and the vertical dividing line between column 1c & column 2 should extend to the top of the table (to make it clear that column 2 is not a sub-column of column 1).3In a communication received on 13 October 2008, the Government of Denmark informed the Secretary-General of the following: “Until further notice, the Protocol shall not apply to Greenland and the Faroe Islands.”4See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.