Legal provisions of COM(2019)52 - EU position as regards the proposals for amendments of Annexes A and B to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

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dossier COM(2019)52 - EU position as regards the proposals for amendments of Annexes A and B to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic ...
document COM(2019)52 EN
date April 15, 2019

Contents

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union's behalf at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (the ‘Convention’), taking due account of the relevant recommendations of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee, shall be to support the:

(a)listing of dicofol in Annex A to the Convention without specific exemptions;

(b)listing of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds in Annex A to the Convention, including the insertion of a new part [X] in Annex A to the Convention, with specific exemptions for:

(i)manufacture of semiconductors or related electronic devices, including for 10 years from the date of entry into force of these amendments an exemption for refurbishment parts for equipment for manufacture of semiconductors or related electronic devices;

(ii)photographic coatings applied to films;

(iii)textiles for oil and water repellency for the protection of workers from dangerous liquids that comprise risks to their health and safety;

(iv)invasive and implantable medical devices;

(v)fire-fighting foam for liquid fuel vapour suppression and liquid fuel fires already in installed systems, including both mobile and fixed systems;

(vi)use of perfluoroctyl iodide for the production of perfluorooctyl bromide for the purpose of producing pharmaceutical products until 2036, subject to regular review;

(c)amendment of paragraph 3(b) of part [X] of Annex A to the Convention on PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related compounds: addition of ‘Testing to verify the proper functioning of an installed system that already contains fire-fighting foam that contains or may contain PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related compounds may be allowed, provided that emissions to the environment are prevented and collected effluents are disposed of in an environmentally sound manner, in accordance with Article 6(1) of the Convention.’;

(d)deletion of the following ‘acceptable purposes’ from the entry on perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives in Annex B to the Convention: photo-imaging, photo-resist and anti-reflective coatings for semi-conductors, etching agent for compound semi-conductors and ceramic filters, aviation hydraulic fluids, certain medical devices (such as ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) layers and radio-opaque ETFE production, in vitro diagnostic medical devices, and CCD colour filters);

(e)deletion of the following ‘specific exemptions’ from the entry on PFOS and its derivatives in Annex B to the Convention: photo masks in the semiconductor and liquid crystal display (LCD) industries, metal plating (hard metal plating), metal plating (decorative plating), electric and electronic parts for some colour printers and colour copy machines, insecticides for control of red imported fire ants and termites, chemically driven oil production;

(f)amendment of the ‘acceptable purpose’ for PFOS and its derivatives for production and use of fire-fighting foam to a ‘specific exemption’ for the use of fire-fighting foam for liquid fuel vapour suppression and liquid fuel fires;

(g)amendment of the ‘acceptable purpose’ for PFOS and its derivatives for production and use for metal plating (hard metal plating) only in closed-loop systems to a ‘specific exemption’ for that use;

(h)amendment of the ‘acceptable purpose’ for PFOS and its derivatives for use in insect baits for control of leaf-cutting ants from Atta spp. and Acromyrmex spp. by including sulfluramid and specifying that the ‘acceptable purpose’ is for agricultural use only.

Article 2

Minor changes to the position referred to in Article 1 may be agreed to, in the light of developments at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, by representatives of the Union, in consultation with the Member States, during on-the-spot coordination meetings, without a further decision of the Council.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.