G/TBT/N/CHE/212  
 
1 February 2017  
(17-0639) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original : English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member : SWITZERLAND   
If applicable, name of local government involved  (Article 3.2 and 7.2) : 
2. Agency responsible : Federal Department of the Environ ment, Transport, Energy and 
Communications DETEC, Office for the Environment FOEN  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notificat ion shall be indicated if different from above : 
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Berne  
E-mail: tbt@seco.admin.ch   
Website : http://www.seco.ad min.ch   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other : 
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
1. Mercury wastes  
2. Elemen tal mercury (CAS No. 7439 -97-6) and mercury compounds  
3. New mercury uses in products  
4. Dental amalgam  
5. Title, number of pages  and language(s)  of the notified document:  
 Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance, ORRChem. Amendment of …2017; Draft of 
31.10.2016 (16 p ages, in German, French and Italian)  
 Ordinance on the Prevention and Disposal of Waste. Amendment of …2017; Draft of 
31.10.2016 (1 page, in German, French and Italian)  
6. Description of content : 
 According to the proposed amendment of the Ordinance on the Prevention and 
Disposal of Waste, elemental mercury and mercury compounds no longer used in 
processes or gained from the treatment of waste shall be considered as mercury 
waste from 1 January 2021. Mercury waste shall be permanently disposed of in an 
environmental sound manner. This principle does not apply for elemental mercury 
and mercury compounds that are destined for an allowable use.  
 According to the proposed amendment of the ORRChem, any person wishing to 
import elemental mercury or mercury compounds  or export elemental mercury 
needs an authorisation from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). An 
export authorisation will be granted if elemental mercury is used for research 
purposes. In addition, an export authorisation can be granted until 31  December 
2020 when elemental mercury will be used in the manufacturing of gas discharge 
lamps or dental amalgam or for the maintenance of seam -welding machines, 
provided that the importing country has given its consent to the FOEN and the 
recipient has co nfirmed to the exporter that elemental mercury is destined for one of 
the above mentionend allowed uses. Import authorisations will be granted if 
elemental mercury or a mercury compound is destined for an allowed use.  G/TBT/N/CHE/212  
 
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   Furthermore the existing restrictions of the ORRChem on mercury shall be amended 
with a prohibition of the marketing of mercury -added products intended for uses 
that are not known before 31 December 2017, and the use of mercury or mercury 
compounds for the manufacturing of such new mercury -added products. In addition 
the existing prohibition on use of dental amalgam shall be supplemented with an 
export ban from 1 January 2021.  
7. Objective and rationale , including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : Restrictions on the marketing an d use of mercury exist in Switzerland since 
more than 30 years. These provisions have been regularly updated with the aim of phase 
down uses of mercury and mercury -added products. Today no mercury or mercury 
compounds are used in processes and there are no  stocks of mercury and mercury 
compounds that are no longer used in processes. However, mercury is extracted in 
Switzerland from imported mercury -containing waste. Since the demand of mercury in 
Switzerland is quite low, almost all recycled mercury is expo rted. The objective of the new 
provisions is a reduction of the global supply of mercury. This is consistent with the 
objectives of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The Government of Switzerland 
deposited its instrument of ratification  to the Convention  on May 2016.  
8. Relevant documents : 
http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/01410/13975/index.html?lang=de  
http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/01410/13975/index.html?lang=fr  
http://www.bafu.admin.ch/chemikalien/01410/13975/index.html?lang=it  
9. Proposed date of adoption : 1 November 2017  
Proposed date of entry into force : 1 November 2017   
10. Final date for comments : 31 March 2017  
11. Texts available from : National enquiry point  [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
number s and e mail and website address es, if ava ilable , of other body: