1. Member States shall encourage local authorities to provide, in participation with industrial associations, chambers of commerce and other concerned parties, specific assistance to clusters of organisations to meet the requirements for registration as referred to in Articles 4, 5 and 6.
Each organisation from the cluster shall be registered separately.
2. Member States shall encourage organisations to implement an environment management system. They shall in particular encourage a step-by-step approach leading to EMAS registration.
3. Systems established pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 shall operate with the objective of avoiding unnecessary costs for participants, in particular for small organisations.