Study in support of the evaluation of the Environmental Liability Directive and its implementation : final report

This report presents the findings of a study to support the European Commission's evaluation of the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD, 2004/35/CE). The study involved a detailed review of available literature and datasets from across the EU. The study also gathered and analysed evidence and views from Member States, operators, representatives of the re/insurance industry, NGOs and other stakeholders on the functioning of the ELD, through case studies, Member States reports, an open public consultation, targeted stakeholder surveys, extensive email exchanges, interviews, and a workshop. This report summarises the evidence base and presents the consultants' conclusions as input to the Commission's Staff Working Document. The analysis is structured under the five evaluation themes of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value, and the 17 more detailed evaluation questions (and multiple sub-questions) under these themes. Conclusions are drawn about the overall performance of the ELD and its implementation, whether the objectives of the ELD have been met and whether it is still relevant for the current needs of the EU. Ongoing issues and challenges associated with implementation of the ELD have been captured to inform any future actions.