Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-13-Speech-3-546-000"
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"en.20120613.31.3-546-000"2
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"Mr President, we stand on the threshold of a first reading agreement on the revision of the so-called Seveso Directive on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances.
I would like to thank and congratulate the rapporteur, Mr János Áder, who is today represented by Mr Seeber, as well as the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, for the excellent work carried out on this proposal; and, in absentia, congratulate Mr Áder on his new responsibilities at the very highest level in his home country.
Industrial accidents often have serious, even devastating, consequences: workers are killed; the public is exposed to chemicals resulting in immediate injury or long-term health impacts; water sources are polluted; companies may have to close. Some well-known major accidents like Seveso, Bhopal, Toulouse and Buncefield have taken many lives and cost billions of euro.
The Seveso II Directive, which dates back to 1996, addresses this by setting rules for operators and competent authorities of Member States. Rules focus on accident prevention, through safety management, inspections and land-use planning. When accidents do happen, Seveso seeks to limit the consequences for man and the environment, through appropriate information and emergency planning.
The Commission is satisfied with the compromise text on which Parliament is invited to vote, which aligns the directive with the new international rules on the classification of chemicals and significantly improves the EU rules on accident prevention and control.
Let me explain why. Firstly, the rules on inspections are far more detailed and effective than before, imposing inspection action plans covering all establishments and ensuring follow-up by operators. Secondly, the rights of citizens are better guaranteed. Citizens will have easier access to more information, including on inspections, and their participation in land-use planning projects will be better guaranteed by strict procedures. Finally, in case those rights are not respected as they should be, citizens will now have the right to go to court, in line with the EU commitment under the Aarhus Convention.
I am convinced that this will allow citizens to exert the necessary pressure on operators and competent authorities to implement – in the best way – the Seveso legislation.
The way the scope of the directive has been defined was a major issue in the negotiations, and will now reinforce the level of protection of citizens and the environment as the rules will now also apply to establishments handling substances with inhalation vapour toxicity, which were previously not covered. However, we consider that there is a need to deepen our knowledge regarding substances displaying dermal toxicity. The Commission is therefore making the following declaration, announcing its intention to further analyse the consequences of accidents involving such substances: ‘The Commission acknowledges that the compromise reached on its proposal implies an improvement of the level of protection of human health and safety and of the environment as compared with that provided by the current Seveso II Directive 96/82/EC. The Commission intends to undertake a further analysis of the likelihood, risks and potential consequences of major accidents involving dangerous substances classified acute toxic 3 dermal. Depending on the outcome of the analysis, the Commission may present a legislative proposal to also include this category within the scope of the directive’. This may lead to a legislative proposal to amend the scope of the directive on this point, if deemed necessary.
In conclusion, the European Commission can support the compromise package in order to reach an agreement on this directive at first reading."@en1
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