Legal and planning certainty for operators of industrial installations

German law comprising rules on the operation and authorisation of production installations and machines must be structured in a reasonable way. Operators of industrial installations need legal and planning certainty for investments. The eligibility of industrial installations for authorisation must be maintained. Industrial projects must not become vulnerable and fail due to increased complexity of procedures. Additional red tape which leads to procedural delays and higher costs for the project promoter must be avoided.

German industry supports the objective of further reducing environmental pollution through industrial emissions. At the same time, the same competition conditions must be created for companies in the European Union.

German law governing authorisation of installations is shaped by European law. Most of the requirements are inspired by European directives and regulations. When European directives are transposed into German law there should be no “gold-plating” which leads to new distortions of competition for German companies on a European comparison.