Environmental team meeting

On 24 May, a meeting of the Environmental Team of the Union of Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland was held, attended by representatives of the Environmental Department of the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Voivodeship. The event, which was conducted in an online format, brought together representatives from all over Poland and produced a number of important conclusions.

Union of Voivodships of the Republic of Poland

The Association of Provinces works for the development of local and regional democracy. One of its main objectives is to initiate and give an opinion on legal projects that affect the functioning of local government. The meeting enabled the exchange of experience and good practice in the field of environmental protection. Many important issues concerning air protection, noise protection or integrated permits were discussed.

Air protection

One of the topics of the meeting was a proposal to extend the use of the SYSLOP system, which is currently operating on a pilot basis in the Małopolskie and Mazowieckie voivodeships. SYSLOP (System of Local Public Warnings), provides access to automatic notifications issued by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection. The system has been very well evaluated in the pilot provinces. In view of the positive experience, it was decided to prepare a common position on the nationwide implementation of this tool. Tomasz Pietrusiak, Director of the Department of Environment of the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region, highlighted the advantages of the SYSLOP system and the benefits of its nationwide implementation.

Integrated permits and waste management

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss integrated environmental permits. The main topic discussed was the implementation of the amendment to the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU, known as IED 2.0. The new legislation will set out the obligation to analyse the integrated permits issued and to cover new industries. The need to obtain an integrated permit for waste storage sites with a capacity of more than 50 tonnes was also discussed.

Participants at the meeting also discussed the position of the Board of the Union of Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland on changes to legislation related to waste management. A detailed discussion was held and further steps in the work on this project were identified.

Work of the Environmental Team

The meeting was an opportunity for an interesting exchange of views and the development of a common course of action. Representatives of provinces from all over Poland had the opportunity to discuss key environmental issues and set new goals and strategies for the future.