2009-09 - IRI Portugal - FINAL REPORT - IMPEL

Annex 1
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR IMPEL PROJECT
No Name of project
Test of the Reviewed IRI Scheme on the Portuguese Environmental
and Spatial Planning General Inspectorate (IGAOT)
1. Scope
1.1. Background The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council
providing for minimum criteria for environmental inspections in the
Member States (2001/331/EC) (RMCEI) says in recommendation III
(4).
“In order to promote best practice across the Community,
Member States may, in co-operation with IMPEL, consider
the establishment of a scheme, under which Member States
report and offer advice on Inspectorates and inspection
procedures in Member States, paying due regard to the
different systems and contexts in which they operate, and
report to the Member States concerned on their findings.”
IMPEL was willing to take this forward and to foresee the eventual
need for arrangements to review implementation of such
recommendations and proposes a voluntary scheme for the purpose.
The potential benefits of this scheme include:
• Encouragement of capacity–building in EU Member State
inspectorates.
• Encouragement of further collaboration between EU Member
State inspectorates on common issues or problems, on exchange
of experience and on development and dissemination of good
practice in environmental regulation.
• Provision of advice to candidate inspectorates who may be
seeking an external view of their structure, operation or
performance by trusted, knowledgeable and independent
counterparts for the purpose of benchmarking and continuous
improvement of their organisation.
• The spread of good practice leading to improved
quality of inspectorates and inspections, and contributing to
continuous improvement of quality and consistency of
application of environmental law across the EU.
The Helsinki Plenary Meeting of IMPEL, in December 1999,
requested that proposals be drawn up for “a voluntary scheme for
reporting and offering advice on inspectorates and inspection
procedures” (the “scheme”). This was against the background of
preparation of a European Parliament and Council Recommendation
on Providing Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections in the
Member States and the expectation that further recommendations
would follow on Minimum Criteria for Inspector Qualifications and
for Inspector Training.
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