Adjustments under the Gothenburg Protocol : Parties may apply to adjust their emission reduction commitments or inventory data in extraordinary circumstances, as defined in EMEP Executive Body decisions 2012/3 and 2012/4  (see ECE/EB.AIR/111/Add.1) and amended by EB decision 2014/1.

Guidance on the application process to adjust either an emission reduction commitment or an emission inventory is available separately in EB decision 2012/12 (see ECE/EB.AIR/113/Add.1). Additional guidance for Parties and reviewers was adopted during 33rd EMEP EB meeting in December 2014. See “Technical Guidance for Parties Making Adjustment Applications and for the Expert Review of Adjustment Applications” 

(ECE/EB.Air/130) published on 14 April 2015.

In addition TFEIP has drafted a Technical Guidance for Emissions Inventory Adjustments under the Amended Gothenburg Protocol: 

 Inventory adjustments in the context of emission reduction commitments (ERCs).

Adjustment Application

Party planning an adjustment to its inventory for the purpose of comparing total national emissions with emission reduction commitments shall indicate in its notification to the UNECE Secretariat and CEIP the categories and pollutants concerned.

  • Deadline for notification: 15 February
  • Deadline for provision of supporting documentation: 15 March

Required supporting information: The IIR template (Annex II to the 2014/2023 Reporting Guidelines) and Technical guidance ECE/EB.Air/130 provide details on required supporting information.

Adjustment application under the emission reduction commitments (ERC)

For the submissions of adjustment applications under the emission reduction commitments please use the following Excel file (Annex_IIa to the ECE/EB.Air/130) for new and previously approved adjustments.

Adjustment application for emission ceilings

For the submissions of adjustment applications under the emission ceilings please use the following Excel file (Annex II to the ECE/EB.Air/130).

Reporting of approved adjustments

Parties shall report details of their approved adjusted aggregated emissions by 15 February, using the appropriate row contained in the main emissions reporting template (Annex I). Parties shall also report detailed information by pollutant and sector for each adjustment using the template provided in Annex IIa to the ECE/EB.Air/130 (or for adjustment applications under the emission ceilings Annex VII to Reporting Guidelines). Parties are invited to declare in agreed format that the methods/emission factors and activity data used for the calculations  of emissions are the same as in the year the adjustments were approved.

Reporting of information on adjusted emissions in no way removes the mandatory requirement for Parties to report unadjusted emissions as laid down in section V, subsections A to D, of the Guidelines.