BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan’s parliament has advanced legislation that would make company environmental impact reports publicly accessible and establish annual reporting requirements for businesses subject to environmental impact assessment.
The Milli Majlis approved the amendments in a first reading on Oct. 16. The package would revise the laws on environmental protection and environmental impact assessment, according to Report.
Under the proposal, production environmental monitoring would cover observations and studies of changes caused by economic activity. Legal entities whose operations are subject to environmental impact assessment would be required to carry out that monitoring.
Those companies would have to submit an annual report to the designated state authority by Feb. 1 of the following year. The authority would determine the form of the report.
The draft also requires companies to use approved and verified measuring equipment when conducting environmental monitoring. The rules are intended to standardize the way environmental data is collected and reported.
The bill distinguishes between two reporting streams: environmental impact assessment materials that would be available to the public and annual production-monitoring reports filed with the state.
Because the amendments have passed only their first reading, the requirements are not yet in force. Further parliamentary consideration is needed before they can take effect.