EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade (the Convention) entered into force on 24 February 2004. It was approved by the Council Decision concerning the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade (2006/730/EC with retroactive effect from 19 December 2002) and entered into force for the European Community on 24 February 2004. The aim of the Convention is to promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm and to contribute to their environmentally sound use. The Convention provides a framework for information exchange about the characteristics of certain chemicals, for a national decision-making process on their import and export and for disseminating those decisions to Parties.

Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 implements in Union law the commitments set out in the Convention.

Established pursuant to Article 18 of the Convention, the Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Rotterdam Convention. This body normally meets every two years to monitor the implementation of the Convention. It also reviews chemicals brought forward for its consideration by the Chemical Review Committee (CRC).

In accordance with Article 5(1) of the Convention, Parties are required to submit notifications of final regulatory action taken to ban or severely restrict the use of a chemical at national level. After receipt by the Secretariat of two such notifications on the same chemical from two Parties belonging to two different PIC regions, those notifications will be presented to the CRC. The CRC is to review those notifications against the criteria laid down in Annex II to the Convention. Based on the outcome of that review, the CRC recommended the listing of acetochlor, carbosulfan, chrysotile asbestos, decabromodiphenyl ether, fenthion (ultra low volume (ULV) formulations at or above 640 g active ingredient/L), liquid formulations (emulsifiable concentrate and soluble concentrate) containing paraquat dichloride at or above 276 g/L, corresponding to paraquat ion at or above 200 g/L, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds in Annex III to the Convention since all criteria were found to be met. The procedure for adoption of amendments to Annexes is governed by Article 22 of the Convention.

In accordance with Article 23 of the Convention, each party has one vote. However, regional economic integration organisations such as the EU exercise their right to vote with a number of votes equal to the number of their Member States that are parties to the Convention.

At the tenth ordinary meeting, the Conference of the Parties will consider the adoption of decisions to list acetochlor, carbosulfan, chrysotile asbestos, decabromodiphenyl ether, fenthion (ultra low volume (ULV) formulations at or above 640 g active ingredient/L), liquid formulations (emulsifiable concentrate and soluble concentrate) containing paraquat dichloride at or above 276 g/L, corresponding to paraquat ion at or above 200 g/L, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds in Annex III to the Convention.

The listing in Annex III has the effect that the chemicals will be subject to the Prior Informed Consent Procedure when internationally traded. This will require Parties to submit import responses to the Secretariat so that the Secretariat can make those import responses available to all Parties. Exporting Parties will be required to respect the import responses when exporting those chemicals.

The envisaged act will become binding on the Parties in accordance with Article 22(5)(c) of the Convention, which provides: ‘A decision to amend Annex III shall forthwith be communicated to the Parties by the Depositary. The amendment shall enter into force for all Parties on a date to be specified in the decision.’

The use of acetochlor, carbosulfan, chrysotile asbestos, fenthion (ultra low volume (ULV) formulations at or above 640 g active ingredient/L), and liquid formulations (emulsifiable concentrate and soluble concentrate) containing paraquat dichloride at or above 276 g/L, corresponding to paraquat ion at or above 200 g/L, is prohibited in the Union by the respective legislation. The use of decabromodiphenyl ether and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds is restricted by Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants, since both chemicals are subject to the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants.

This proposal concerns the decision establishing the position to be taken on the Union's behalf at the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention in connection with the envisaged adoption of decisions to amend Annex III by listing acetochlor, carbosulfan, chrysotile asbestos, decabromodiphenyl ether, fenthion (ultra low volume (ULV) formulations at or above 640 g active ingredient/L), liquid formulations (emulsifiable concentrate and soluble concentrate) containing paraquat dichloride at or above 276 g/L, corresponding to paraquat ion at or above 200 g/L, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds.