In order to run a business in accordance with the law, the entrepreneur must fulfill the obligations related to, among others: environmental protection. One of them is submitting annual reports to KOBiZE? What is this register? Which entities are obliged to report and how to properly submit a report to KOBiZE?
KOBIZE - what is it? Which entities are required to report? What is the penalty for not reporting?
The National Center for Emissions Balancing and Management (KOBiZE) was established to fulfill the obligations resulting from, among others, from EU directives and are related air protection i pollutant balancing. One of its tasks is to administer the EU ETS in Poland, i.e. the EU trading system greenhouse gas emission allowances.
The basic competencies of KOBiZE also include running a national database – a register in which data on emissions of greenhouse gases and other substances are collected. It also performs national inventories and prepares analyses, reports and data summaries, which it submits to government and local government administration and interested entities.
KOBiZE report - who submits it?
Pursuant to the Act of 17 July 2009 on the emission management system [...], the obligation to register in the KOBiZE database and submit annual reports on the volume of emitted greenhouse gases and other substances is imposed on each entity using the environment (resulting in emissions). So it is enough to use a company car or use air conditioning or a heating boiler in the company to be obliged to fill out a report to KOBiZE and charge an environmental fee.
What are the penalties for not submitting a report to KOBiZE?
Regulations in force in Poland they do not explicitly indicate criminal sanctions for failure to register and submit a report to KOBiZE. However, this does not mean that there is no risk of non-compliance.
Failure to submit a report on certain areas of environmental use may result in a painful fine for the entrepreneur or institution. During the inspection, the Environmental Protection Inspection may impose on the entity a fine of 50 zlotys (see: The Act on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Allowances Trading Scheme), and also oblige it in the post-inspection recommendations to make up for the backlog even for the period up to 5 years back.
KOBiZE report - deadline
The report to KOBiZE should be submitted annually. The reporting entity has time to do so till the end of February. On the other hand, an entity participating in the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme should submit an appropriate report and report until March 31. The report should contain information relating to the previous calendar year.
How to submit a report to KOBiZE? What information should the report contain?
The KOBiZE report can be completed and submitted over the Internet. Just create an account in the database and follow the instructions. However, completing the report yourself can be a challenge, especially for a person who is doing it for the first time. The structure of the KOBiZE database, the multitude of its levels and tabs may seem quite complicated for a novice to complete. Even a small amount of data to be entered, concerning devices and installations used in a company/institution, can create a problem.
Entities complete the Database most often once a year. Learning how to use it, and then remembering it after a year's break, often increases the company's costs than outsourcing the service. The employee's working time always costs the employer, and it could be used more profitably - for activities directly building the company's profit.
In this situation, it is worth opting for specialist support. At Ekomeritum, we will help you complete the report so that it meets all formal and legal requirements and contains information consistent with the facts and consistent with other environmental reports you submit. At your request, we can also conduct training in the company in the field of preparing and entering the report into the system.
In the KOBiZE report must include, among others,:
- emission data, consistent with other types of environmental reporting, e.g. relating to environmental charges,
- information on received administrative decisions,
- information on reported installation operation reports.
It is also not without significance correct selection of data sources regarding emissions. You can use e.g. reports on continuous and periodic measurements or safety data sheets for the preparations used.
The obligation to submit annual reports to KOBiZe rests on every entity that uses the environment. In order to avoid incorrect data entry, it is worth using the support of environmental consulting specialists. It is a convenient solution that saves time and nerves.
