18. 8. 86 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 207/9 
3.15.2. Article IS (2) (c) 
Vide supra paragraph 3.7.1. 
3.15.3.Article 15 (2) (d) 
This does not really cover the need for skilled surgeons and 
anaesthetists, etc. It should be drafted broadly to cover 
'competence in scientific procedures to be carried out'. 
3.15.4. Article 15 (4) 
Records should include the date of use of animals and their 
euthanasia so that a complete record is available from the 
time of an animal's acquisition to its death. Such records 
should be kept for three years. 
3.16. Article 16 
No comment. 3.18. Article 19 
3.18.1. Paragraph 1 is very welcome. However, there is 
concern about the scope of paragraph 2. The exchange of 
information on the requirements in the Member State will 
be of considerable use, but the exchange of factual 
information on experiments gives rise to concern about 
confidentiality and the use to which such information will 
be put. If the information is used to facilitate the placing on 
the market of a product by any party other than the party 
on whose behalf the experiment was carried out, this 
provision will significantly distort competition and would 
not be acceptable. 
3.19. Articles 20,21, 22 and 23 
No comment (though a transitional period of one year is 
too short a time to implement the changes proposed). 
3.17. Articles 17 and 18 
3.17.1. The central committee should not monitor the 
implementation of the Directive. It should pool inform­
ation and resources and make it available to Member States 
where needed. This committee's composition, authority, 
duties and responsibilities need to be clearly spelled out. We 
again draw attention to provisions for wild and farm 
animals and to breed-related disorders. 
3.17.2. The Annexes to the proposed Directive are of 
great significance. It must be made clear as to whether any 
additional consultation procedure is envisaged. Small 
changes in the Annexes could be of major significance to 
science and industry. 3.20. Annexes 
3.20.1. Annex I: Chickens might come from farms. 
Include all hamsters, not solely golden. 
3.20.2. Annex II: Vide supra paragraph 3.4.1. 
3.20.3. Annexes III and IV: Delete. Replace by Articles 
6 (4) and 6 (5). 
3.20.4. Annex V: Delete. Replace by Article 6 (6). 
3.20.5. Annex VI: The data to be collected for statistical 
information need to be more detailed than this, and should 
conform to that requested under the Convention. More 
thought could be given to the role of data banks. 
Done at Brussels, 21 May 1986. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on water quality objectives for chromium 
(86/C 207/04) 
On 20 January 1986 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Articles 100 and 235 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
(') OJ No C 351, 31. 12. 1985, p. 33. 
No C 207/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 8. 86 
The Section for Protection of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Affairs, which was 
responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 6 May 1986 
in the light of the report by Mr de Normann. 
At its 237th plenary session (meeting of 21 May 1986), the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following opinion unanimously. 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee endorses the proposal for a Council 
Directive on water quality objectives for chromium. 
1.2. This will: 
— lay down procedures for the coordination of national 
programmes to reduce the chromium pollution of the 
aquatic environment, 
— lay down quality objectives for chromium which must 
be included in the national programmes, 
— set deadlines for their implementation, 
— specify a reference method of measurement to ensure 
comparability of results, 
— require Member States to communicate the results of 
the implementation to the Commission, 
— require the Commission to report periodically to the 
Council. 
1.3. This is a daughter directive of Directive 76/464 on 
Dangerous Substances in the Aquatic Environment. In 
Annex II of that Directive priority for control for Cr, Zn, 
Cu, Ni, Pb and As was left mainly to Member States under 
the coordination of the Commission. 
In response to Commission enquiries from Member States 
the Commission felt there were discrepancies both in 
timing and in proposals. The parent directive gave the 
Commission the option in such circumstances to lay down 
a water quality objective for Annex II substances and this 
they are doing for Cr. 
1.4. The Committee notes that the water quality 
objective for Cr in this Directive is more stringent than it is 
in the Directive for surface water intended for the 
abstraction of drinking water. 
The Commission stated that there were legal reasons for 
this. 
1.5. The Committee realizes that chromium con­
centrates in the sediment of the aquatic environment and 
certain rivers have a concentration of 100 to 400 mg/kg Cr 
on a dry basis. Crm is mostly fixed whereas CrIV is more soluble; so it is the latter concentration that should be 
limited. 
The Commission is studying this problem as a separate 
aspect of the water quality objective for metals and still 
requires further information. 
Directive 76/464 (Dangerous Substances in the Aquatic 
Environment) covers sediment thus giving Member States 
the duty to take into consideration the reduction of 
dangerous substance in it. 
1.6. The Committee understands that although 
chromium is necessary in the metabolism of glucose, no 
ecological imbalance will arise from the implementation of 
this Directive. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. Article 5 — paragraph 3 
The Committee urges the Council to require that the 
periodic reports be sent also to the Economic and Social 
Committee, which is deeply concerned with the quality of 
the environment. 
2.2. Annex I 
The Committee understands that 'water hardness' (mg/1 
CaCO,) refers to 'total water hardness'. It asks that this be 
stated and that a reference method of measurement be 
given. 
2.3. The Committee notes that Article 6 stipulates that 
Member States shall comply with the proposed Directive by 
15 September 1986 and complete the implementation of the 
programmes by 15 September 1991. 
The Committee would like to have seen a shorter period for 
implementation but accepts the Commission's view that 
this is a realistic date based on a three year periodicity for 
reporting. 
Nevertheless the Committee urges that there should be no 
undue delay. 
Done at Brussels, 21 May 1986. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR