At their EU ‘Environment’ Council meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday 17 June, the environment ministers of eight European Union Member States considered that the proposal to restrict lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle - which is being debated in comitology under the REACH regulation - was “premature” at best. Only Spain supported the European Commission’s proposal.
The Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria and Hungary have expressed concerns about the economic impact on the munitions production industry and defence supply chains.
The Czech Republic also felt that the restriction could have consequences “on the protection of agricultural areas”. And Slovakia was concerned that the restriction would lead to an “increase in the price of food imports”.
Alternatives such as copper or steel would not come from European sources and would raise the question of dependence on third countries, the Member States pointed out. In particular, Bulgaria has stated that this would lead to a potential “reduction in the EU’s production capacity and autonomy”.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, explained that the assessment committee had not only established the toxicity of lead, but had also already evaluated alternatives for fishing and hunting, concluding “that it would not pose a problem”. She went on to add that the use of lead ammunition by military and security forces is “clearly excluded from the proposed restriction”. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)