Who we are

Who we are

IEP-NRI The Institute of Environmental Protection

National Research Institute was appointed by virtue of the Order of the Minister of Environmental Protection on 1 April 1986. The major activity area of the Institute is to develop scientific and technical basis for environmental protection and relevant national policies. Special areas of activity such as integrated environmental studies contribute significantly to the integration of work carried out under other research fields. The Institute’s main objective is the development of scientific and technical foundations for environmental protection and state policy in this area. Thnstitute of Environmental Protection is supervised by the Ministry of the Environment. The development of the basic environmental policy on a national and international scale distinguishes IEP-NRI from other research and development units dealing with issues of environmental protection. An important part of IEP-NRI activity is comprehensive environmental research, integrating research conducted in different research fields.

The Institute operates in the following fields:

• Developing the basics of Poland’s environmental strategy and policy and participating in international studies,
• Comprehensive studies of the environment, especially the processes and consequences of its degradation, with particular emphasis on the areas of industrial degradation,
• Protection of the atmosphere against pollution
• Climate protection,,
• Protection against noise and vibration,
• Protection of the landscape and living resources of nature,
• Protection and restoration of the biologically active surface of the earth
• Protection and restoration of water resources,
• Waste management.

The scope of the Institute’s activities also includes:

• nternational and national cooperation in the field of environmental protection,
• ecological education,
• granting technical approvals for equipment for wastewater treatment and treatment of sludge,
• issuing opinions on plant protection products intended for registration in Poland in the field of environmental safety,
• implementation and dissemination of the Institute’s results through its own publications, organization of conventions, conferences and national symposia,
• library and information activities.

NCEM

The National Centre for Emissions Management (KOBiZE in Polish) performs its activities based primarily on two national legal acts:
Act of July 17, 2009 on the management of emissions of greenhouse gases and other substances[1]
Act of June 12, 2015 on greenhouse gases emissions trading system[2]
According to the Act on the management of emissions of greenhouse gases and other substances KOBiZE operates within the structure of the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute in Warsaw. KOBiZE was created to carry out commitments resulting from the EU directives and from the participation in the European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS). According to the Polish law KOBiZE is supervised by the Minister of the Environment.
One of the basic obligations of KOBiZE is to manage and administer the Polish part of the EU ETS in Poland, including operation of Polish part of the Union Registry.
KOBiZE operates the National Database, where data on emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and other substances is collected. The Database is a constantly improved tool offering unique information on emission sources, their spatial location and detailed data on operation of every installation covered by the reporting system. It also enables acquiring precise information based on real data, which is submitted by the entities in the process of annual reporting.
Due to international and national obligations concerning reporting, one of the important fields of KOBiZE’s activity is the annual preparation of the national emission inventories of greenhouse gases and other substances. KOBiZE elaborates analyses, reports and emission data sheets for the State and local governmental administration, as well as for other interested entities.
KOBiZE also provides expert support to the Ministry of the Environment and other interested governmental entities in the field of EU ETS, emissions ofgreenhouse gases and other substances and some aspects of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as other air protection related conventions ratified by Poland. Important elements of KOBiZE’s every-day duties include constant contacts with the local governments, business organizations and entities to provide information and clarifications in the field covered by the expertise of KOBiZE.
KOBiZE also performs tasks concerning preparation of greenhouse gases emission projections, developing methodologies of emission estimations and analyses concerning distribution of emission allowances among the Polish EU ETS participants. Furthermore, KOBiZE organizes systematic trainings on EU ETS and the National Database, in scope of their rules and operation, for interested institutions or business entities.

Strategy, Analysis and Auctions Unit

was formally established in 2009 within the framework of KASHUE (now KOBiZE), but its activity began in 2008, when there was an urgent need for strategic support of government, particularly the Minister of Environment during the negotiation of climate and energy package, as well as the process of negotiating a new international climate agreement in 2009, 2010 and 2011. As a follow-up employees of the Strategy and Analysis Unit provides expert support of the Polish delegation during the meetings of the Climate Change Committee, technical working groups, informal expert meetings of European Commission, the EU Council and in other forums.
In particular, it concerns the involvement of the implementation of climate and energy package, including: auctioning system in the third trading period of EU ETS, definition of benchmarks, which will determine distribution of free allowances after 2013; measures to prevent the occurrence of “carbon leakage” in the EU ETS; derogations for electricity, offset mechanisms andheir impact on the carbon market. It is also responsible for carrying out KOBiZE tasks related to auctioning system in the current trading period of EU ETS. Strategy, Analysis and Auctions Unit at KOBiZE serves as the centre of analysis and supporting work of other units within preparing comprehensive statement of task forces arising from international and national obligations (so-called “road maps”). The unit is responsible for preparing forecasts and consulting analyses, reviewing the functioning of the systems in the field of air protection, taking into consideration among others the background of macroeconomic indicators, as a supporting tool for the preparation of national and sectoral emission reduction plans. The unit creates concepts and solutions for the implementation of international commitments in the field of air protection, particularly under the climate and energy package (EU ETS directive and non-ETS decision) and other national commitments.
From 2012 experts from Strategy, Analysis and Auctions Unit took active part of the Center for Climate Analysys (CAK in Polish). The Centre was created on the basis of interinstitutional agreement within public administration in Poland. As a part of CAK works, a global CGE model PLACE was created.
The unit conducts ongoing cooperation with experts in the various level of governmental institutions and with other external units in the country and abroad, including the European Commission.

Steering Committee and Technical Group

As part of the project, the Steering Committee and the Technical Group were established, which include representatives of the target group, i.e. cooperating with the project team.

The Steering Committee and Technical Group include representatives of the following ministries:

• Ministry of the Environment,
• Ministry of Energy,
• Ministry of Infrastructure,
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
• Ministry of Enterprise and Technology,
• Ministry of Finance,
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
• The Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

The Steering Committee and Technical Group is responsible for setting directions and making decisions on the topics of work and solving substantive problematic issues. In addition, the goal of cooperation of LIFE Climate CAKE PL team with representatives of the target group is to match the project results to the expectations of the target group.
The Steering Committee and the Technical Group are based on voluntary participation of representatives of ministries interested in the results of the project. The composition of the Committee was determined based on information from ministries in response to a letter from the Ministry of the Environment submitted on behalf of IEP-NRI. If your ministry is interested in cooperation in the project, please contact us by email: cake@kobize.pl