The Department of Climate, Environment, Energy have just launched the public consultation on Ireland’s implementation of the Aarhus Convention and the Pollutant Release Transfer Register (PRTR) Protocol available here.
DECC encourages participation in this public consultation. This process will inform Ireland’s National Implementation Reports on the Aarhus Convention and PRTR Protocol 2025. The Department has prepared draft National Implementation Reports to outline the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and PRTR Protocols in Ireland. To inform the final documents, comments are invited from stakeholders, members of the public and other interested parties.
Aarhus Convention
The Aarhus Convention lays down a set of basic rules to promote citizen’s involvement in environmental matters and improve enforcement of environmental law.
Its provisions are broken down into three Pillars: Access to Information on the Environment, Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making and Access to Justice.
Ireland ratified the Aarhus Convention on 20th June 2012.
PRTR Protocol
The PRTR Protocol seeks to reduce the burden of pollution and waste by establishing publicly accessible national pollutant registers. The Protocol requires each of its Parties to establish and maintain a publicly accessible national PRTR that meets certain requirements which are set out in the Protocol. The Irish PRTR, which was launched in 2007, is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency and is available at https://www.epa.ie/our-services/compliance–enforcement/whats-happening/pollutant-release-and-transfer-register/
Comments on the draft document should be submitted by email or received by post no later than the 7th April 2025.
Email: Aarhus-decc@decc.gov.ie or Post:
The Aarhus Unit,
Department of Climate, Environment and Energy,
Tom Johnston House,
Haddington Road,
Dublin,
D04 K7X4
For more information on the Aarhus Convention, please go to: