Directive 1999/13 - Limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations - Main contents

official title

 

Legal instrument	Directive
Number legal act	Directive 1999/13
Original proposal	COM(1996)538
CELEX number i	31999L0013

Avis juridique important

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Council Directive 1999/13/EC of 11 March 1999 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations

Official Journal L 085 , 29/03/1999 P. 0001 - 0022

COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 1999/13/EC of 11 March 1999 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130s(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189c of the Treaty (3),

• (1) 

  Whereas the European Community action programme on the environment approved by the Council and the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council by resolutions of 22 November 1973 (4), 17 May 1977 (5), 7 February 1983 (6), 19 October 1987 (7) and 1 February 1993 (8) stresses the importance of the prevention and reduction of air pollution;

• (2) 

  Whereas in particular the resolution of 19 October 1987 emphasises the importance of Community action to concentrate, inter alia, on implementation of appropriate standards in order to ensure a high level of public health and environmental protection;

• (3) 

  Whereas the European Community and its Member States are parties to the Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes and the fluxes of the resulting secondary photochemical oxidant products so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects;

• (4) 

  Whereas pollution due to volatile organic compounds in one Member State often influences the air and water of other Member States; whereas, in accordance with Article 130r of the Treaty, action at Community level is necessary;

• (5) 

  Whereas, because of their characteristics, the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations gives rise to emissions of organic compounds into the air which can be harmful for public health and/or contributes to the local and transboundary formation of photochemical oxidants in the boundary layer of the troposphere which cause damage to natural resources of vital environmental and economic importance and, under certain exposure conditions, has harmful effects on human health;

• (6) 

  Whereas the high incidence of high tropospheric ozone concentrations in recent years has triggered widespread concern regarding the impact on public health and the environment;

• (7) 

  Whereas, therefore, preventive action is required to protect public health and the environment against the consequences of particularly harmful emissions from the use of organic solvents and to guarantee citizens the right to a clean and healthy environment;

• (8) 

  Whereas emissions of organic compounds can be avoided or reduced in many activities and installations because potentially less harmful substitutes are available or will become available within the coming years; whereas, where appropriate substitutes are not available, other technical measures should be taken to reduce emissions into the environment as much as economically and technically feasible;

• (9) 

  Whereas the use of organic solvents and the emissions of organic compounds which have the most serious effects on public health should be reduced as much as technically feasible;

• (10) 

  Whereas installations and processes which fall under this Directive should at least be registered if they are not subject to authorisation under Community or national...

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