Brussels, 10/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 October, Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, and Lithuanian Environment Minister Valentinas Mazuronis signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury on behalf of the European Union. The ceremony, in the Japanese town of Kumamoto, was attended by representatives of around 140 governments from around the globe. The Convention is the first new multilateral environmental agreement to be signed for more than ten years. The only thing that needs to be done now is to ratify this instrument that seeks to reduce emissions from this highly toxic metal, its production and use. Under the terms of this multilateral treaty, products containing mercury (such as thermometers) will have to be phased out by 2020 and countries will have a fifteen-year deadline to stop using this heavy metal for their mining activities.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said, “I am very pleased to see so many of our international partners making this public commitment to halt mercury pollution. This is an unequivocal demonstration of widespread determination, and I am sure it will make a significant difference for human health and the environment around the world”.
Mazuronis pointed out that “the EU has been a strong driver in the negotiation process and it will continue to play a very active role. We will of course continue this momentum and strive for early ratification of the Convention”. The Commission has already launched work to develop the EU ratification instrument and will run consultations on this in the course of 2014. The Convention was negotiated by one hundred and forty UN Member States, and they will now begin their own procedures for ratification. The Minamata Convention was named after the Japanese city affected by the most serious ever mercury poisoning and it is expected to be ratified by 50 countries over the next three or four years.
In the meantime, it will be necessary to define approaches on the best techniques available to tackle mercury emissions into the air. The Kumamoto conference was therefore chosen to decide on the work programme it would draw up to cover the period between the signing of the Convention and its entry into force.