The EU Parliament Environment Committee approved a report on the new Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive on Janaury 22, 2009 , that will require at least 52,000 industrial operators, including hydrogen production installations to obtain emission permits. In the proposed directive all hydrogen production installations require  the same authorisation procedure which makes it extremely difficult for installers of small units to create a market. The EHA therefore  has been informing lawmakers of this unjust treatment of smaller units at a time when the EU Joint Technology Initiaitve for hydrogen and fuel cells is trying to establish the first markets for hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. The revised text of the Directive will be submitted to the Parliaments plenary  in March, but  it seems unlikely that agreement would be reached with the Council before that date and a second-reading vote is necessary in the new Parliament after the election this June.