Brussels, 21/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 21 May, the European Parliament adopted the recommendation by Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, Greece) on second reading, officially approving the compromise reached with the Council last week. In concrete terms, exports from the EU of mercury and mercury compounds will be banned from 15 March 2011, three months before the date proposed by the Council. The Commission had suggested 1 October 2011 for the export ban to come into effect. Final agreement on the regulation is expected on 5 June at the Environment Council.
In addition to the changes brought to timetable, the EP-Council compromise extends the ban on exporting metallic mercury to other mercury compounds, such as cinnabar ore, mercury chloride and mercury oxide. Compounds for research and development, medical or analytical analysis purposes are not covered by the prohibition. The recommendation adopted on Wednesday introduces the obligation to store mercury waste for over a year either in salt mines, in deep, underground, hard rock formations, or in above-ground facilities “in a way that is safe for human health and the environment” before eventually being disposed of. The Commission will monitor ongoing research activities on safe disposal options, including solidification of metallic mercury, and will submit a report to Parliament and Council by 1 January 2010, and, if appropriate, a proposal for revision of the directive not later than 15 March 2013. The call made by the EP in the first reading for imports of mercury into the EU also to be banned has not been included in the compromise, but the Commission, together with the member states and the relevant stakeholders, has to examine by 2010 if there is a need for such a ban. Furthermore the Commission will consider whether the export ban should be extended to other mercury compounds, mixtures with a lower mercury content and products containing mercury, in particular thermometers, barometers and sphygmomanometers. The proposal from a number of Spanish MEPs from the EPP and PES groups that the EP environment committee amendments be reintroduced was rejected. These amendments proposed the former mercury mine at Almadèn in Spain be used to store metallic mercury or mercury by-products from European industry. (O.L.)