WRITTEN QUESTION E-1585/02 by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Dioxins.
Date: 2002-06-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, EU law, environmental law, environmental standard, iron and steel industry, toxic substance, waste incineration

C 301 E/188

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.12.2002

(2002/C 301 E/198)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1585/02

by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 June 2002)

Subject: Dioxins

Can the Commission confirm that the question of dioxin emissions is addressed differently under EU
legislation when targeting emissions from waste treatment plants (incinerators) and targeting emissions
from industrial installations? This is the impression given by the fact that one Belgian steel mill, SIDMAR
in Gent, is permitted legally to produce 21 grams of dioxin a year while the collective emissions for
European incineration plants, under EU directives, are 22,5 grams of dioxins a year. Could the Commission
agree that while incineration has been targeted as a key problem source of dioxins across the EU, attention
should now switch to other sources in the effort to reduce overall environmental impact, and to ensure
that EU policy reflects real areas of environmental concern, rather than continuing to concentrate on the
easier political targets?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 July 2002)

Dioxin emissions from all major point sources are addressed under Community legislation and, providing
that this legislation is enforced by Member States, a high level of protection will be ensured.

the importance of

In view of
the waste incineration sector as major source of dioxin emissions,
harmonised emission limit values for dioxins have been established in Community legislation since 1994
in the case of hazardous waste incineration and, more recently, since the adoption of Directive
2000/76/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste (1) in
all forms of incineration including municipal incineration.

In the case of other industrial sectors the relevant cross-cutting instrument is Council Directive 96/61/EC
of 24 September 1996 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (2). This Directive requires
large industrial installations to take all the appropriate preventive measures against pollution, in particular
through application of the best available techniques (BAT) upon take-up of operation and by 2007 at the
latest for existing installations. Contrary to the above mentioned Directive 2000/76/EC on the incineration
of waste, this Directive provides for emission limit values to be set locally in line with the principle of
subsidiarity. Limits must be based on BAT, a regulatory concept that takes account of costs and benefits so
as to achieve a fair and proportionate treatment of different industrial sectors.
In order to provide
information for the guidance of authorities, the Commission organises an exchange of information on BAT
in different sectors.

From a purely technical point of view, dioxin emissions from some processes, such as waste incineration,
can be better controlled than emissions from other processes.

As far as Sidmar is concerned, this installation has apparently made big efforts to reduce its dioxin
emissions and with great success. According to information available to the Commission, in 2001 the total
emissions were at 0,6 grams or 3 per cent of 1997 levels. In addition, it is reported that this plant is
perhaps the best monitored sinter plant in the whole world with respect to its dioxin emissions.

The dominant source of dioxins in the Community has historically been uncontrolled waste incineration.
In view of the importance of waste incineration as a source of dioxin emissions, the Commission has
proposed several Directives on incineration of waste leading to a significant reduction of dioxin emissions.
According to the ‘European Dioxin Emission Inventory, Stage II’ (Landesumweltamt Nordrhein-Westfalen,
December 2000), funded by the Commission, incineration of municipal solid wastes has experienced a
rapid decrease of dioxin and furan emissions to air during the last decade due to efficient abatement
measures: dioxin emission levels in 2000 have decreased by 58 % compared to the levels in 1995 and they
foresee a decrease of 81 % comparing the levels of 1995 to 2005.

5.12.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/189

the Commission adopted a ‘Communication to the Council,

the European
On 24 October 2001,
Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee on a Community Strategy for Dioxins, Furans and
PCBs’ (3). The Communication outlines the problem of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), the
progress in addressing the problem, the remaining gaps, the basis for Community action and it develops a
strategy to reduce the presence of these compounds in the environment, in feed and food.

It is stated in the Communication that waste incineration is no longer the major dioxin source and that for
the industrial sources a considerable emission reduction has been achieved (based on current trends and
activities it is foreseen that the target set in the 5th Environment Action Programme of a 90 % reduction
will be nearly realised in 2005 compared to the levels in 1985) but, for the non-industrial sources
(domestic solid fuel burning, domestic waste burning, fires, etc.) the rate of emission reduction is much
lower. These sources have so far been left to the Member States, and the Commission sees no need to
change this policy, as it is consistent with the principle of subsidiarity.

The Communication identifies a set of non-legislative actions for the short- to medium-term and for the
long-term focusing on inter alia dioxin sources (iron ore sintering, electric arc furnaces, non-ferrous metal
industry, miscellaneous industrial sources and non-industrial emission sources).

(1) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.
(2) OJ L 257, 10.10.1996.
(3) OJ C 322, 17.11.2001.

(2002/C 301 E/199)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1596/02

by John Purvis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 June 2002)

Subject: Safety criteria for nuclear reactors

What are the specific technical safety criteria for nuclear-electricity-generating reactors?

Please list those reactors within the existing EU Member States and the applicant countries which do and
do not meet these standards.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 2002)

Technical safety standards for nuclear reactors are the responsibility of the Member States. There is no
Community legislation on this subject at the present time.

It is worthwhile recalling on this occasion, however, that the European Council meeting in Laeken in
December 2001 undertook to maintain a high level of nuclear safety in the Union, stressed the need to
monitor the security and safety of nuclear power stations and called for regular reports from Member
States’ atomic energy experts through their maintaining close contact with the Commission.

In this context and in order to achieve the objective of a high level of nuclear safety in an enlarged Union,
the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (cid:1) Final report on
the Green Paper ‘Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply’ (1) indicates that: ‘For the
next stage, the Commission will examine a proposal opening the way to a truly Community approach to
nuclear safety in the form of common standards and practices and European control mechanisms and peer
review’. This will guarantee that the same criteria and methods are applied throughout an enlarged Europe.

(1) COM(2002) 321 final.