The European IPPC Bureau was set up in 1997 to organise an information exchange between the European Commission, EU Member States, industry and environmental non-governmental organisations on Best Available Techniques (BAT) used to control industrial pollution.

Located in Seville, the Bureau’s early activities were mandated by the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive (96/61/EC). Today, the European IPPC Bureau operates under Article 13(1) of the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), coordinating the exchange of information that underpins the drawing up, review, and update of BAT reference documents (BREFs). The rules governing the information exchange, including data collection, procedures for drawing up BREFs, quality assurance and the handling of confidential business information are embedded into law under Commission Implementing Decision 2012/119/EU. This 'BREF guidance' provides all information on what is commonly referred to as the 'Sevilla process'.

The BREFs produced by the European IPPC Bureau cover large-scale agro-industrial activities included in Annex I to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), i.e. some 52 000 installations EU-wide. Each BREF contains a specific chapter on BAT conclusions, which comprise a short description of the best available techniques identified, their applicability and associated emission or consumption levels. BAT conclusions are subsequently adopted by a Committee procedure and published in the Official Journal of the European Union. They provide the reference for setting emission limit values and issuing operating permits for industrial installations in EU Member States.

The European IPPC Bureau engages actively in international knowledge transfer and exchanges information on best available techniques and the Sevilla process with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and several countries outside the EU.

The European IPPC Bureau can be contacted via phone
+34-854-590261 or e-mail JRC-B5-EIPPCB@ec.europa.eu.

• More information on the European IPPC Bureau
• Working procedures to elaborate BREFs
• Who's who in the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU
• Sevilla Process