Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-20-Speech-2-499"
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to express my thanks and congratulations to the rapporteur, Mr Papadimoulis, on his excellent contribution to the Regulation on the banning of exports of metallic mercury, and also to the members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, for their positive and constructive input.
· The date of its entry into force.
· The safe and economically advantageous final disposal of metallic mercury.
The Commission understands Parliament’s aim to secure optimistic targets for these fundamental points and is in a position to accept the proposed changes.
The Commission will, of course, keep a close eye on the correct enforcement and observance of all the Regulation’s provisions, and will also re-examine the need to take further measures.
This proposal contributes significantly to the aim of reducing exposure to mercury. It paves the way for taking further measures at international and global level. International negotiations are in any case in progress under the auspices of the UN Environment Programme. Adopting this Regulation will send out a strong message regarding the EU’s commitment to addressing the problem.
In addition to Amendments 42-63, which have already been agreed, five new amendments have been tabled on the use of the Almadén district in Spain as a priority area for the safe storage of metallic mercury. The Commission understands the likely economic impact on the region if the mercury mine is closed. A research programme coordinated by the company MAYASA, which owns the area, is receiving more than EUR 2 million in funding from the LIFE Fund. This programme is examining safe disposal methods for metallic mercury. Its findings will be useful for setting acceptance conditions for the final disposal of mercury, as provided for in Amendment 56 to the proposed regulation.
The Almadén district could obviously be considered for the safe storage of mercury, provided it meets the conditions to be imposed, and provided it has the necessary permits. However, the Commission cannot justify the proposed priority in Amendments 37-41 of only one region, and therefore cannot accept those amendments.
To sum up, the European Commission can accept the compromise package as agreed in the tripartite discussions, namely Amendments 42-63. It is satisfied with the agreement on the regulation at second reading. However, Amendments 37-41 have not been agreed and cannot be accepted.
This Regulation implements two of the procedures mentioned by the Commission in its communication of 2005 to the Council and the European Parliament on the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury. The adoption of this Regulation will be a milestone in the implementation of the strategy, since it will prohibit exports from the Community of metallic mercury, –which account for at least 25% of global supply.
The main aim of the proposed Regulation is to limit the global supply of mercury by banning exports of metallic mercury from the EU and putting it into safe storage.
The Regulation is concerned mainly with 12 000 tonnes of mercury that will become surplus in the coming years because mercury cell technology in the chlor-alkali industry will be progressively phased out.
The Regulation will prevent the export of surplus mercury to third countries and its use in gold digging and similar unlawful activities, which contribute significantly to the accumulation of mercury in the environment.
Parliament’s efforts to further increase the scope and improve the text of this legislative initiative have been fruitful. They have ensured that the Regulation in its agreed form will become an effective means of protecting public health and the environment.
I should like to thank the institutions and all those who took part in the process with a view to achieving agreement at second reading. In particular, I should like to emphasise the constructive role of the European Parliament in shaping this satisfactory agreement.
On some important points, Parliament has insisted on going beyond the scope of the Commission’s initial proposal. In particular, let me underline three points that were at the centre of the negotiations:
· The scope of the export ban."@en1
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