Quick answer
- Resolution TER/822/2026 of 11 March approves the Integrated Environmental Inspection Plan of Catalonia 2026-2028; Resolution TER/821/2026 approves the 2026 programme, in force until 31 December.
- It applies to establishments holding an environmental authorisation (Annex I of Law 20/2009 (Catalonia)): industry, energy, waste management, landfills and livestock farms.
- The inspection verifies that the actual activity matches the authorised one and that the documentation on waste, emissions, discharges and soil is consistent.
- A prior internal review prevents most of the subsequent compliance notices.
What the plan is and what the programme is
The plan is the multi-year framework document: it sets the objectives, the risk-based prioritisation criteria and the minimum inspection frequency for each establishment. The programme is annual and specifies which establishments will be inspected that year. Both are approved under Article 68 of Law 20/2009 on environmental prevention and control of activities (Catalonia).
The 2026-2028 plan replaces the 2023-2025 one. The 2026 programme distributes inspections among industry and energy, waste management, landfills and livestock farms, the latter accounting for half of all inspections.
What an integrated environmental inspection checks
The inspection does not question the viability of the activity: it checks the consistency between what has been authorised, what happens on site and what has been declared. The usual areas:
- Environmental authorisation: that the current processes, capacities, emission sources and discharge points are those listed in the authorisation and its amendments.
- Waste: chronological record up to date, correct LoW (LER) codes, treatment contracts with authorised waste managers, shipment documents (eSIR) consistent with what has been generated and collected, annual report and, where applicable, minimisation plan.
- Emissions to air: sources registered and classified, emissions logbook, periodic controls by an accredited inspection body within the deadlines.
- Water: valid discharge permit, self-monitoring submitted, DUCA (Water Use and Pollution Declaration) and results within the limits.
- Soil: baseline report and status reports where the activity requires them.
- Packaging: registration in the Producer of Product Register (RPP), membership of a collective extended producer responsibility scheme (SCRAP) and returns if the company is a producer of product.
What usually goes wrong
It is hardly ever an isolated breach, but documentation that is correct piece by piece yet inconsistent as a whole: a production capacity that is no longer the authorised one, a new emission source not registered, a waste stream with one code in the contract and another in the shipment document, or a regulatory change that nobody reassessed. That is why preparation means reading the authorisation from start to finish and comparing it with reality, not accumulating more paperwork.
How to prepare
- Check whether you are in the programme
Establishments under Annex I of Law 20/2009 have a minimum inspection frequency set in the plan. If you do not know when your turn comes, we can help you estimate it. - Compare the authorisation with the plant
Processes, capacities, emission sources, discharge points, waste storage areas and chemical storage. - Put the waste file in order
The chronological record, treatment contracts, shipments and annual report for the same period must tally with each other. - Verify controls and declarations
Emission controls, water self-monitoring, DUCA, PRTR, soil reports and packaging returns within the deadlines. - Correct before the inspection report arrives
If you find an unreported modification or an expired document, it is better to regularise it on your own initiative.
Not sure whether it affects you?
Have you been notified of an inspection or a compliance notice? We review your case and handle the file with the authorities. See our environmental inspection service for companies or call us on 934 09 80 30.