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(2004/C 33 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1608/03

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(7 May 2003)

Subject:   Destruction of obsolete pesticides

In its esteemed answer to Written Question P-0480/03 (1), the Commission states that, to date, not one of the applicant countries has reacted to the letter from 28 MEPs concerning the receipt of financial aid for inventory work on and the destruction of obsolete pesticides. On the other hand, the Commission has, on several occasions in the past, acknowledged the problems posed by such obsolete pesticides.

At the same time, it leaves unanswered the question whether or not the applicant countries now have a sufficient number of appropriate and efficient thermal incinerators available in which to destroy the stockpiles of obsolete pesticides (and, possibly, other hazardous waste prohibited in the EU of the Fifteen).

Can the Commission indicate whether the thermal incinerators in the applicant countries now meet the requirements for the incineration of obsolete pesticides in a manner which complies with the Commission's strictest standards in this area and what steps it will take, should that not be the case?

Can it indicate the approximate share that expired pesticides account for in the requests for financial aid from seven Member States for inventory work on the pollution connected with persistent organic pollutants and what share that constitutes of the total (estimated) amount of obsolete pesticides in general?

Does the Commission still take the view that it is for the applicant countries to take the initiative to apply to it if they want to receive financial aid for the destruction of expired pesticides when it is obvious that, after repeated urgent requests from, inter alia, the European Parliament, the applicant countries have not yet realised that this problem must be taken seriously with a view to the protection of public health in Europe? If so, on the basis of what arguments does the Commission persist in its view?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(13 June 2003)

In the accession negotiations for the environment chapter, nine of the Acceding Countries agreed to fully comply with the standards set out in Directive 2000/76/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste (2) by accession for new installations and by the date stipulated in the Directive for existing installations (28 December 2005). Slovakia has been granted a transition period until the end of 2006 to reach compliance for a limited number of existing incinerators. As regards the preceding Council Directive 94/67/EC of 16 December 1994 on the incineration of hazardous waste (3), Hungary was granted a transition period until 30 June 2005 for certain emission limit values and measurements within a limited number of incinerators.

The Commission cannot indicate the share that expired pesticides account for in the request from seven Acceding and Candidate Countries for inventory works (4) on persistent organic pollutants related contamination nor does the Commission know the share that constitutes of the total amount of obsolete pesticides in general. This falls under the scope of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, as it was outlined in the reply to Written Question P-0480/03 by the Honourable Member. According to a survey (5) made in the 10 acceding countries, the share of POP pesticides seems to vary a great deal from one country to another. In the four acceding countries with large stocks of obsolete pesticides, the estimated share of POPs waste varies from 1,4 % to 30 %.

The responsibility and initiative for receiving financial aid for the destruction of expired pesticides clearly has to be taken by the Acceding and Candidate Countries themselves. It is their obligation to transpose and implement the acquis at the latest by their accession to the Union, with the above mentioned limited exceptions. The Commission is closely monitoring their preparations, as well as assisting them in evaluating the scope of the problem. In this context, the Commission commissioned the above-mentioned study. Community financial instruments such as PHARE and ISPA are in principle available to properly manage obsolete pesticides in the Candidate Countries subject to the specific conditions stipulated for these instruments. After accession, they will have access to the Structural and Cohesion Funds for this purpose.

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(1)OJ C 268 E, 7.11.2003.

(2)OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.

(3)OJ L 365, 31.12.1994.

(4)  More information about the regarding proposals can be found on the WebPages http://www.gefonline.org/.

(5)  European Commission, Directorate General for Environment, ‘Obsolete Pesticides Status in Candidate Countries’. Final report. September 2002.

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