2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/5­
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilDecisionontheaccessionoftheCommunitytotheConvention
ontheProtectionoftheMarineEnvironmentoftheBalticSeaArea(HelsinkiConvention
—1974)(!)and
—theproposalforaCouncilDecisionontheconclusion,onbehalfoftheCommunity,of
theConventionontheProtectionoftheMarineEnvironmentoftheBalticSeaArea
(HelsinkiConvention,asrevisedin1992)(2)
(94/C34/02)
On26July1993andon5August1993,theCouncildecidedinaccordancewithArticle130S
oftheEECTreatytoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommitteeontheabovementioned
proposals.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
9November1993.TheRapporteurwasMrWick;theCo-Rapporteurs wereMrsElstnerand
MrFlum.
Atits310thPlenarySession(meetingof24November1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeunanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
INTRODUCTION thesignatoryStatesandoftheEuropeanCommunity
aredeposited.Withfourteensignatories,itisdifficult
topredictwhentheConventionwillcomeintoforce.
I.OPINION ONTHEDRAFTCOUNCIL
DECISIONONCOMMUNITY ACCESSION TO
THEHELSINKICONVENTION —1974
1.Article1
TheCommitteewelcomestheaccessionoftheEuro­
peanCommunitytothe1974HelsinkiConvention .It
regretsthefactthatCommunityaccessionwasorig­
inallyblockedbyoppositionfromoneoftheCon­
tractingParties.On22March1974thesevenStatesborderingtheBaltic
Sea(Denmark,FederalRepublicofGermany,German
DemocraticRepublic,Finland,Poland,Swedenandthe
SovietUnion)signedaConventioninHelsinkionthe
protectionofthemarineenvironmentoftheBaltic
Seaarea.Thisinitiativewasanexpressionoftheir
determinationtotake,jointlyorseverally,allappropri­
ateactiontopreventandreducepollutionoftheBaltic.
In1977theCouncilauthorizedtheCommissiontoopen
negotiationsontheaccessionoftheCommunitytothe
HelsinkiConvention .Thismovewasinitiallyblocked
byoneoftheContractingParties,buttheimprovement
inthepoliticalsituationsubsequentlymadeitpossible
torestartnegotiations .
On24September1992,pursuanttotheCouncil
Decisionof18March1992,theCommunitysignedthe
1992revisedversionoftheConvention .Themainaim
oftheConventionistoorganizecloseregionalcooper­
ationontheecologicalrehabilitationoftheBalticSea,
leadingtotheself-regeneration ofitsmarineenviron­
mentandthepreservationofitsecologicalbalance.
Sinceitisimpossibletoforeseewhenthe1992version
oftheConventionwillcomeintoforce,theCommittee
feelsobligedtocommentonthe1974version.Under
Article36oftheHelsinkiConvention asrevisedin
1992,theConventioncomesintoforcetwomonths
aftertheinstrumentsofratificationandapprovalofall2.CommentsontheHelsinkiConvention—1974
2.1.Generalcomments
2.1.1.Asthe1974Conventionremainsinforceuntil
suchtimeasitissupersededbythe1992version,
theCommitteefeelsitisnecessarytocommenton
individualArticlesofthe1974version.
TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethatthisConvention
hasevolvedfurther,thankstotheworkoftheHelsinki
Commission .
(*)OJNoC222,18.8.1993,p.13.
(2)OJNoC222,21.8.1993,p.9.2.1.2.TheCommitteefurthernotesthatthetwo
MemberStatesconcerned,DenmarkandtheFederal

NoC34/6 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2.94
2.2.8.Annexes RepublicofGermany,mustremainpartiestothisCon­
ventionalongsidetheEuropeanCommunity,sincethe
areasofapplicationoftheConventionfallpartlywithin
theCommunity'sjurisdictionandpartlywithinthe
jurisdictionsoftheindividualMemberStates.TheCommitteefeelsthatAnnexesI-Vshouldbe
updated.AnnexesIandIIinparticularneedtobe
fleshedoutsubstantially ,inviewoftheimpactof
thelistedhazardousandnoxioussubstancesonthe
environment .2.2.Specificcomments
2.2.1.Article 1
TheCommitteepointsoutthattheinternalwatersof
theContractingPartiesarenotcoveredbytheConven­
tion.Thisisaseriousloophole,particularlywithregard
todischargesofhazardousandnoxioussubstances .II.OPINIONONTHEPROPOSAL FORA
COUNCILDECISIONONTHECONCLUSION ,
ONBEHALFOFTHECOMMUNITY ,OFTHE
1992HELSINKICONVENTION
2.2.2.Article2
1.Article1
TheCommitteeregretsthatthedefinitionsgivendo
notcovernutrients,whicharedetrimentaltothemarine
environmentbecausetheydepleteoxygenlevels.
2.2.3.Article4TheCommitteewelcomesthesigningoftheHelsinki
Conventionasrevisedin1992.TheCommitteeispar­
ticularlypleasedthatenvironmental legislationper­
tainingintheCommunityhasbeenincorporatedinthis
Convention .TheCommitteeregretsthattheConventiondoesnot
applytowarships,navalauxiliaryvessels,militaryair­
craftorothershipsandaircraftownedoroperatedby
acontractingState.Thisisanotherimportantloophole
inmeasurestoprotectthemarineenvironmentofthe
Baltic.2.CommentsontheHelsinkiConvention—1992
2.2.4.Article6—Paragraph 3 2.1.Generalcomments
Article6—Paragraph3allowssignificantquantities
ofthedangeroussubstanceslistedinAnnexIItobe
dischargedwithapermitfromtheappropriatenational
authority.ThisunderminestheConvention .Inany
eventpermitsshouldonlybeissuedaftercarefulcheck­
ingthatthemeasuresandcriteriasetoutinAnnexIII
havebeenobserved.2.1.1.TheCommitteewelcomesthefactthatthe
Conventionnowalsoincorporates ,interalia,,the'pol­
luter-pays'principle,environmental impactassessment,
prohibitionofincinerationatsea,notificationandcon­
sultationonpollutionincidents,natureconservation
andbiodiversity ,reportingandexchangeofinfor­
mation,informationtothepublicandprotectionof
information .2.2.5.Article8
TheCommitteenotesthatthereisnodefinitionofthe
term'pleasurecraft',asusedhere.TheCommitteefeels
thatrestrictionscanonlybeeasedforthesecraftunder
strictlydefinedconditions .2.1.2.TheCommitteenoteswithsatisfactionthat
thisConventionhasbeensignednotonlybytheStates
borderingtheBaltic,butalsobytheKingdomofNor­
way,theCzechandSlovakRepublicsandtheUkraine.
TheseStatesalsocontributetopollutionoftheBaltic
viainternalwaters.
2.2.6.Artiee10
TheCommitteefeelsthattheverygeneralwordingused
doesnotadequatelydefineoff-shoremeasures. 2.2.SpecificComments
2.2.7.Article192.2.1.Article 1
TheCommitteepointsoutthatthisprovisionsafe­
guardingcertainfreedomsmustnotbeinterpretedin
suchawayastoundermineallthepreviousmeasures.TheCommitteeisverypleasedtonotethatinternal
watershavenowbeenincludedintheConvention .

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/7
2.2,2.Article2No.4b 2.2.4.Annexes
TheCommitteepointsoutthatthedefinitionof'dump­
ing'allowstoomanyexceptions .
2.2.3.Article27TheCommitteeispleasedtoseethattheannexesare
significantlyclearerandmorecomprehensive thanthe
annexestothe1974Convention .TheCommittee
expectstheHelsinkiCommissiontopursuethetaskof
extrapolating thetechnicalaspectscontainedintheTheCommitteepointsoutthatthepurposeofthe
Conventionmaybejeopardizedbyexemptionsgranted
inordertosafeguardcertainfreedoms. annexes .
DoneatBrussels,24November1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective91/689/EEC
onhazardouswasted1)
94/C34/03)
On28September1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle130softheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
9November1993.TheRapporteurwasMrBeltrami.
Atits310thPlenarySession(meetingof24November1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
concentration ofthehazardousconstituentsand/oron
specificconditions.
3.TheCommitteethereforeendorsesthemoveto
amendthedefinitionofhazardouswastebymaking
directreferencetothecategoryofwaste(AnnexI),the
constituentswhichmakeithazardous (AnnexII),and
thehazardproperties (AnnexIII).TheCommission's
originalproposal(88/C295/05),endorsedinanearlier
ESCOpinion(2),wasalongtheselines.1.TheCommitteenotesthatthepurposeofthe
proposalistorevisethedefinitionoftheterm'hazard­
ouswaste'andtoamendtheimplementing dateof
Directive91/689/EECandthedateofrepealofDirec­
tive78/319/EEC,inordertoavoidalegalvacuumina
sectorwhichisofkeyimportancefortheprotectionof
bothpeopleandtheenvironment .
2.TheCommitteeacceptstheCommissionproposal
onthebasisofthereasonssetoutbytheCommission .
2.1.TheCommitteeagreesthatadefinitive,inclusive
andbindinglistofhazardouswaste,aspreviouslypro­
videdforbyDirective91/689/EEC,isdifficulttodraw
up,sincehazardpropertiesdependinteraliaonthe4.Thiswillcreateabroaderreferenceframework
whichaffordsmoreeffectiveprotectionforbothpeople
andtheenvironment ,andwillfurthertheharmoniza­
HOJNoC212,7.10.1993,p.16. (2)OJNoC56,6.3.1989.