Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-19-Speech-2-433"
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"en.20070619.47.2-433"2
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".
Mr President, as this House is well aware, this proposed regulation on the banning of exports and storage of metallic mercury is in line with the commitments contained in the Mercury Strategy which we passed in March 2006.
The PPE-DE Group supports the broad aims of the regulation. Mercury must be disposed of and stored safely in order to protect human health and the environment. Mercury cell technology is being gradually replaced by the environmentally superior and energy efficient membrane cell technology and this conversion is releasing surplus mercury across the European Union. The aim of this regulation is to prevent this decommissioned mercury from entering the world market. In my view the Commission’s proposal is broadly acceptable and the most workable approach.
With regard to the date for the entry into force of the export ban, amendments have been tabled to bring that date forward. We do not support those amendments. The timing of the ban was debated at length prior to the Environmental Council in June 2005, and the 2011 date was agreed in the Council conclusions as contained in the Commission’s proposal. In my view, nothing has changed since the Council took that decision and I would not wish to have those very difficult decisions reopened. This could only delay the introduction of the ban, especially if it encouraged the re-examination of whether an export ban is in fact the best way to achieve the EU’s aims. The date that has been chosen is the date that appears to gain the most support from a majority of Member States and of course, equally importantly, from the many other stakeholders involved. That date has been set by the Commission with the agreement of the Spanish authorities and Minas de Almadén in order to leave enough time to reorganise and restructure that company, and I think it deserves all of our support.
I am not in favour of the proposals to introduce a ban on the import of mercury and mercury compounds. Given the quantities of mercury rising from the decommissioned chlor-alkali plants within the Community, there would appear to be absolutely no commercial incentive for imports and thus no necessity for including an import ban at this stage. The market is quite capable of regulating itself.
Similarly, we are also not in favour of extending the scope of the export ban. We accept the Commission’s view that metallic mercury is by far the most relevant substance in terms of quantity, as compared to mercury compounds and products containing mercury, and that extending the export ban would be very premature at this stage. Furthermore, companies would simply relocate and continue producing. Is it really up to us to regulate what other countries in the world get up to? I personally think not. Both extensions to the Commission’s proposal require deeper analysis of better regulation principles and the cost and impact of existing business."@en1
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