On course for full EU mercury export ban

27 March 2008
by eub2 -- last modified 27 March 2008

Environmental and health NGOs welcomed the results of the 2nd reading vote from the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament on the proposed EU regulation to ban exports of mercury and safely store the surplus.

The Committee upheld the position of the Parliament's first reading last June supporting a full export ban of metallic mercury, cinnabar ore, all mercury compounds and those mercury-containing products which are banned from sale in the EU, as well as an import ban, by December 2010. However, although the Committee repeated their preference for temporary storage, they unfortunately opened the door for permanent underground disposal of liquid mercury. Nevertheless, any technological developments in transforming liquid mercury into a solid compound must now be considered before such wastes can be accepted for disposal into adapted underground facilities.

"We are happy to see that, overall, ENVI held their position from Parliament's first reading last June", said Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, EEB's Project Coordinator of the Zero Mercury Campaign. "In our view temporary storage is still on the table .and is our preferred option. Long term safety for people and the environment should be the first priority when deciding how to handle such a highly toxic substance."

In addition, the Committee reiterated its position that mercury containing products forbidden in Europe are to be included in the export ban. "Avoiding such a double standard is a must, "said Lisette van Vliet of Health Care Without Harm Europe. How can we ask other countries to stop using mercury if we still send them devices full of this toxic liquid? Besides, if we don't, we only end up hurting ourselves: the contamination comes back to us, especially in fish, and poisons our health."

The NGOs still see a problem in the date that the export ban would start, since the later it starts, the greater the risk of mercury contamination world wide. "The EU is the frontrunner in the global debate towards a binding global agreement and this regulation has been its flag" said Mrs. Lymberidi-Settimo. "We find it ironic that the US, which until now has had a negative position in the discussions, is about to adopt a bill which will ban its mercury exports by 1 January 2010, at least a year before the EU! "

The Environment Committee once again requested regular information from industry on the movement of all forms of mercury within and when leaving the EU, to secure better control of this toxic substance.

NGOs urge the Environment Council to close the loopholes in the scope of export ban, start it swiftly and ensure that liquid metallic mercury is only temporarily stored, while waiting for solidification technologies to be fully developed.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is a federation of more then 140 environmental citizens' organisations based in EU Member States and most Accession Countries, as well as in a few neighbouring countries. The aim of the EEB is to protect and improve the environment of Europe and to enable the citizens of Europe to play their part in achieving that goal.

European Environment Bureau