Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION concerning the signature by the European Economic Community of the Protocol to the Geneva Convention on long­range transboundary air pollution concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes
Date: 1991-10-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, Ireland, Single European Act, road services department, wastewater

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COMMISSION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

COM(91) 394 final 

Brussels, 23 October 1991 

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL_DECISION 

concerning the signature by the European Economic Community 

of the Protocol to the Geneva Convention on long-range transboundary 

air pollution concerning the control of emissions of volatile 

organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes 

(presented by the Commission) 

- 2 -

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

Subject: 

Signature  by  the European  Economic  Community  of the 
Protocol  to  the  Geneva  Convention  on  long-range 
transboundary air pollution concerning the control of 
emissions  of  volatile  organic  compounds  or  their 
transboundary fluxes 

1.  The Community - and all of the Member States - is a party to the Convention 

on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution  (Geneva  Convention,  1979), 

drafted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. 

Under this Convention,  a Protocol on the control of emissions of volatile 

organic  compounds  (VOCs) or  their  transboundary  fluxes  has  been prepared 

and will be put to the parties for signature in November 1991. 

2.  The  Community  has  for  a  long  time  recognized  the  need  to  reduce  VOC 

emissions,  which  are  harmful  to  both  human  health  and  to  natural  and 

economic  resources  as they  are  one of  the  causes, together  with  NOx, of 

photochemical pollution. 

With this in mind, the Community  has adopted  legal measures to reduce VOC 

emissions from motor vehicles, which makes it competent  as regards certain 

provisions of the Protocol. 

3.  The  existing  Community  legislation  (motor  vehicles)  and  the  recent 

Commission  proposals  which  have  already  been  the  subject  of  a  common 

position  by  the  Council  (heavy  goods  vehicles)  should  be  extended  to 

include  other  provisions  to enable  the Community,  in accordance with the 

Commission's  estimates,  to  fulfil  the  obligations  arising  from  the 

Protocol, the main one being to achieve a 30% reduction in VOC emissions by 

the  end  of  1999  as  compared  with  the  level  in  1988  or  any  other  year 

between 1984 and 1990. 

- 3 -

The Commission  is preparing, within the context of the CORINAIR programme, 

a  detailed  inventory  of  atmospheric  emissions  of  various  pollutants, 

including VOCs, in 1990. 

Consequently, it proposes that this year should be specified as the year of 

reference for VOC emissions when the Community signs the Protocol. 

4.  On 24 July 1990 the Commission was authorized by the Council to participate 

in the Working Group drafting  the Protocol  and to negotiate  on behalf of 

the Community  in close consultation with the Member States. 

5.  In view of the responsibilities which the Community has already assumed and 

the need to increase the control of transboundary  atmosheric pollution at 

international  level  as  well,  the  Commission  believes  that  the  Community 

should sign the VOC Protocol. 

The  Commission  further  proposes  that  the  Community's  interpretation  of 

certain  terms  in  the  Protocol  which  are  incompatible  with  its  specific 

status. 

- A -

Proposai  for a 

COUNCIL  DECISION 

concerning  the signature by the European  Economic  Community 

of the  Protocol  to the Geneva Convention on  long-range  transboundary 

air  pollution concerning  the control  of emissions of  volatile 

organic compounds or  their transboundary  fluxes 

THE  COUNCIL  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES, 

Having  regard  to the Treaty establishing  the European  Economic  Community, 

Having  regard  to the proposal  from  the  Commission, 

Whereas  the  Treaty  calls  for  active  cooperation  by  the  Community  and  the 
Member  States  in  international environmental  protection  activities; 

Whereas  the  Community  is party  to  the  United  Nations  Economic  Commission 
for  Europe  Convention  on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution1  (Geneva 
Convention,  1979)  and  to  one  of  its  Protocols  on  the  funding  of  the 
European  Monitoring  and Evaluation of Pollutants  (EMEP)  programme;2 

Whereas  the  Commission  has  taken  part, on  behalf  of  the  Community,  in the 
negotiations  conducted  within  a  Working  Party  under  the  auspices  of  the 
United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe  on  a  draft Protocol  to  the 
Convention  on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution concerning  the control 
of  emissions  of  volatile  organic  compounds  (VOCs)  or  their  transboundary 
fluxes; 

Whereas  the  VOC  Protocol  will  be open  for  signature  by  the  parties  to  the 
Convention  on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution  at  the  ninth  meeting 
of  the  Executive Body  for  the Convention, which  will  be  held  in Geneva  from 
19 to 22 November  1991; 

1  OJ  No X  171, 27.6.1981, p. 11. 
2  OJ  No L 181, 4.7.1986, p. 1. 

-  5 -

Whereas  the availability  of  data  on VOC emissions  in the Community  will  be 
ensured,  for  1990,  thanks  to  the  CORINAIR  programme  and  the  Community 
should  therefore  specify  that  year  as the reference year  for VOC emissions; 

HAS AGREED THE  FOLLOWING: 

Article 1 

The  European  Economic  Community  shall  sign  the  Protocol  to  the  1979 
Convention on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution  concerning  the  control 
of  emissions  of  volatile  organic  compounds  or  their  transboundary  fluxes, 
specifying  1990 as  the reference  year  and  subject  to  conclusion. 

Article  2 

The  President  of  the  Council  shall  appoint  a  representative  empowered  to 
sign  the Protocol  on behalf of  the Community. 

He  shall  at  the  same  time  deposit  the  declaration  appearing  In Annex  I to 
this Decision. 

Done  at  Brussels, 

For  the Counci 
The  President 

- 6 -

ANNEX ! 

Declaration bv the European Economic  Community 

The European  Economic Community  declares  that  the term  "national  emissions" 
appearing  in the preamble and  in Articles  1 and  2 of  the draft  protocol  to 
the  Convention  on  long-range  transboundary  air  pollution  concerning  the 
control  of  emissions  of  volatile  organic  compounds  or  their  transboundary 
fluxes  Is  to  be  interpreted,  as  far  as  It  Is  concerned,  as  meaning  "the 
Community  emissions  comprising  the  total  emissions  of  the  EEC Member 
States". 

Furthermore,  the  term  "national"  appearing  in  Articles 4,  5,  7  and  8 
similarly  means  that  legislation,  programmes,  strategies  and  policies 
adopted, developed or  implemented  by  the European  Economic Community within 
the framework of matters within  its field of  competence. 

ISSN 0254-1475 

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