Air pollution - National Responses (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)

The 2005 Law on Environment (LE) regulates areas of relevance for air quality and air emissions, especially in the sections on monitoring, environmental impact assessment and integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC). Enforcement of IPPC procedures will contribute to reduction of air pollutant emissions.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has initiated the establishment of an IPPC system, by transposing the EU Directive 96/61/ЕC on IPPC into the LE. Three chapters of the LE refer to:

• integrated environmental permits for the operation of installations having impacts on the environment;
• general environmental audits;
• adjustment permits with adjustment plans.

The LE regulates the issue of A-integrated environmental permits[1]. In order to start operating, new installations are obliged to have fulfilled the conditions of an integrated environmental permit, while existing installations have a deadline for preparation of adjustment plans for achieving compliance. The adjustment permit is the basis for gradual improvements up to the compliance requirements under the IPPC for existing installations. Issuing of the adjustment permits is performed by the Administration for Environment and control of the implementation of the conditions regulated by the permits is carried out by the State Inspectorate.    

The Law on Ambient Air Quality provides a number of bylaws for adoption. So far, the following have been adopted and implemented:

• Decree on limit values of levels and types of ambient air pollutants and alert thresholds, deadlines for limit value achievement, margins of tolerance for the limit value, target values and long-term targets;
• Rulebook on criteria, methods and procedures for ambient air quality assessment;
• Rulebook on methodology for inventory of air emissions; and List of established ambient air quality zones and agglomerations;
• Rulebook on monitoring and reporting;
• Rulebooks on detailed content and manner of development of the National Plan, programme and action plans for ambient air improvement and protection;
• Bylaws to transpose the following EU Directives: 1996/62/ЕC; 1999/30/EC; 2000/69/EC; 2002/3/EC; 2004/107/EC; 2008/50/EC; 2001/81/EC; 2001/80/EC; 1997/101/EC 1996/61/EC are in drafting stage.
• 61 ISO and CEN standards in the area of ambient air quality and air emission have been adopted by a method of endorsement.