Brussels, 30/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Competitiveness Council has reached unanimous political agreement over the fertiliser regulation that brings together the twenty or so directives currently regulating fertilisers with the aim of simplifying existing legislation. The fertiliser is expected to be supplemented by a regulation on the maximum authorised cadmium content for fertilisers.
Finland, Sweden and Austria have been granted an extension until December 2005 of their exemptions (granted when they joined the EU) to the rules on limiting the maximum cadmium content of fertilisers.
In a declaration annexed to the Council report, Finland and Sweden regret that the regulation does not yet include a general restriction on cadmium content. They stress in the declaration that the risk assessment carried out in several countries shows that a high level of cadmium in fertiliser presents risks for human and animal health as well as for the environment. Sweden and Finland therefore insist on the importance of having a regulation, before end 2005 at the very latest, to restrict cadmium content. Austria welcomes in another declaration the efforts made by the Commission for preparing a text on cadmium content. The Danish minister affirmed during the debate open to the public, that the problem of cadmium must be taken seriously. He hoped that the Commission would soon propose measures. Commissioner Erkki Liikanen pointed out that the scientific committee on toxicity, eco-toxicity and the environment gave an opinion on 24 September and that the Commission intends to pursue work on this basis, by opening public consultation on the Internet early 2003. France, for its part, recalled the importance of having common and simple rules on safety, and recalled the accident at the AZF factory in Toulouse one year ago.