Introduction

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme is a voluntary scheme designed for companies and other organisations that are willing to commit themselves to evaluate, manage and improve their environmental performance. The scheme was launched by the European Union in 1993 and was revised in 2003.

The EMAS scheme is accessible for all organisations from all sectors such as business, education, public administration, etc. The international standard for Environmental Management Systems, EN/ISO 14001, is integrated within the EMAS scheme.

First and foremost, EMAS is designed to benefit the environment. It provides organisations, regulators and the public with an instrument to evaluate and manage the environmental impact of an organisation.

EMAS is open to organisations in all public and private sectors that want to improve their environmental performance. It applies in all Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

In Malta, the Malta Standards Authority has been appointed as the Competent Body whereas the National Accreditation Body of the Malta Standards Authority is responsible for the accreditation of EMAS Verifiers.

The European Commission DG Environment website on EMAS is a valuable source for anyone interest to obtain further information (http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/emas).