Decision (EU) 2018/1730 on the position to be taken with regard to the adoption of guidelines on the environmentally sound interim storage of mercury

Summary:

On 26 September 2018 the European Commission presented a proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the Union at the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The Council of the European Union adopted the Decision on 12 November.

Further information:

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is the main international legal framework aimed at protecting human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds to air, water and land. It addresses the whole life-cycle of mercury, from mining to waste disposal. The Agreement entered into force in August 2017. The European Union is a party to the Agreement, as well as most Member States.

On 19 November 2018, during its second meeting, the Conference of the Parties (COP) is to adopt guidelines regarding the environmentally sound interim storage of mercury, mercury mixtures and of six mercury compounds, other than waste mercury. In practice, the envisaged act is mainly relevant for the storage of liquid metallic mercury.

Official

EUR-Lex: COM(2018)657: Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken with regard to the adoption of guidelines on the environmentally sound interim storage of mercury https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2018:657:FIN

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