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1. Member States shall set up a system of environmental inspections of installations addressing the examination of the full range of relevant environmental effects from the installations concerned. Member States shall ensure that operators afford the competent authorities all necessary assistance to enable those authorities to carry out any site visits, to take samples and to gather any information necessary for the performance of their duties for the purposes of this Directive.

2. Member States shall ensure that all installations are covered by an environmental inspection plan at national, regional or local level and shall ensure that this plan is regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, updated.

3. Each environmental inspection plan shall include the following:

(a) a general assessment of relevant significant environmental issues;

(b) the geographical area covered by the inspection plan;

(c) a register of the installations covered by the plan;

(d) procedures for drawing up programmes for routine environmental inspections pursuant to paragraph 4;

(e) procedures for non-routine environmental inspections pursuant to paragraph 5;

(f) where necessary, provisions on the cooperation between different inspection authorities.

4. Based on the inspection plans, the competent authority shall regularly draw up programmes for routine environmental inspections, including the frequency of site visits for different types of installations. The period between two site visits shall be based on a systematic appraisal of the environmental risks of the installations concerned and shall not exceed 1 year for installations posing the highest risks and 3 years for installations posing the lowest risks. If an inspection has identified an important case of non-compliance with the permit conditions, an additional site visit shall be carried out within 6 months of that inspection. The systematic appraisal of the environmental risks shall be based on at least the following criteria:

(a) the potential and actual impacts of the installations concerned on human health and the environment taking into account the levels and types of emissions, the sensitivity of the local environment and the risk of accidents;

(b) the record of compliance with permit conditions;

(c) the participation of the operator in the Union eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS), pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 (). The Commission shall adopt and, where appropriate, regularly update guidance on the criteria for the appraisal of environmental risks.

5. Non-routine environmental inspections shall be carried out to investigate serious environmental complaints, serious environmental accidents, incidents and occurrences of non-compliance as soon as possible and, where appropriate, before the granting, reconsideration or update of a permit.

6. Following each site visit, the competent authority shall prepare a report describing the relevant findings regarding compliance of the installation with the permit conditions and conclusions on whether any further action is necessary. The report shall be notified to the operator concerned within 2 months of the site visit taking place. The report shall be made publicly available by the competent authority in accordance with Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information () within 4 months of the site visit taking place. Without prejudice to Article 8(2), the competent authority shall ensure that the operator takes all the necessary actions identified in the report within a reasonable period.