Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee on the implementation of the Community Strategy for dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (COM(2001) 593) – Second progress Report {SEC(2007) 955}
Date: 2007-07-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: activity report, environmental protection, public health, toxic substance, toxicology, waste management

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 10.7.2007 
COM(2007) 396 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE 

On the implementation of the Community Strategy for dioxins, furans and 
polychlorinated biphenyls (COM(2001) 593) – Second progress report 

{SEC(2007) 955} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE 

On the implementation of the Community Strategy for dioxins, furans and 
polychlorinated biphenyls (COM(2001) 593) – Second progress report 

Context 

Dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCDD, PCDF and PCBs) are a group of toxic 
chemicals that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food chain and pose a 
risk  of  causing  adverse  effects  to  human  health  and  the  environment.  They  can  cause 
impairment  of  the  immune  system,  the  nervous  system,  the  endocrine  system  and  the 
reproductive  functions  and  are  also  suspected  of  causing  cancer.  Foetuses  and  newborn 
children are most sensitive to exposure. There is considerable public, political and scientific 
concern  over  the  negative  effects  on  human  health  and  on  the  environment  of  long-term 
exposure to even the smallest amounts of dioxins, furans and PCBs. 

A  general  reduction  of  dioxin,  furan  and  PCB  levels  in  the  environment  and  humans  has 
already  been  achieved  over  the  past  two  decades,  in  particular  through  control  of  industrial 
emission sources, like waste incineration. In view of the persistence of these chemicals, it is 
however appropriate to continue working for the reduction of the anthropogenic emissions to 
the environment, with the goal of their continuing minimization and, where feasible, ultimate 
elimination. In addition, levels in feed and food should be further reduced in order to lower 
human exposure. 

To  reduce  human  intake,  it  is  important  to  reduce  the  levels  in  the  food  chain  since  food 
consumption  is  the  most  important  route  for  human  exposure.  Contamination  of  the  food 
chain  is  caused  by  environmental  contamination.  Dioxins  emitted  to  air  can  for  example  be 
deposited  on  plants  or  in  water  and  taken  up  and  accumulated  by  animals  and  fish  as  they 
feed, thereby entering the food chain. Measures to reduce the presence of dioxins, furans and 
PCBs therefore need to be taken both for the environment and for feed and food. 

On 24 October 2001 the Commission adopted a Communication to the Council, the European 
Parliament  and  the  Economic  and  Social  Committee  setting  out  a  Community  Strategy  for 
dioxins, furans and PCBs1 (Dioxin Strategy). The Dioxin Strategy consists of two parts: one 
part  containing  actions  for  reducing  the  presence  of  dioxins,  furans  and  PCBs  in  the 
environment and one part containing actions for reducing their presence in feed and food. 

On  12  December  2001  the  Environment  Council  adopted  Conclusions  on  the  Commission 
Communication, supporting the Commission Dioxin Strategy and requesting the Commission 
to report back on the implementation at the end of 2003 and thereafter every three years. A 
first progress report covering the period 2002-2003 was adopted on 13 April 20042. 

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COM(2001) 593 final. 
COM(2004) 240 final. 

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This Communication is the second progress report summarising the activities undertaken by 
the Commission over the period 2004-2006 in the areas of environment and feed and food. It 
is  supplemented  with  an  Annex  containing  more  detailed  and  technical  descriptions  of  the 
developments in the different areas SEC(2007)955. 

Activities undertaken in the environmental field 

Dioxins, furans and PCBs  are addressed under several different  environmental policy areas. 
An  area  of  particular  importance  for  the  period  under  review  is  the  implementation  of  two 
international conventions on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). 

Like  other  POPs,  dioxins,  furans  and  PCBs  are  transported  across  international  boundaries 
and  pose  a  threat  to  the  environment  and  to  human  health  all  over  the  world.  This  global 
concern is reflected by the UNEP Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, to 
which the Community became party in February 2005, as well as the 1998 Protocol on POPs 
under the UN-ECE Convention on Long-Range Trans-boundary Air Pollution. 

For the EU to fully implement the obligations of the two international instruments, Regulation 
(EC)  No  850/2004  on  persistent  organic  pollutants3  was  adopted  in  2004.  The  adoption 
constitutes  a  major  achievement  for  the  reduction  of  dioxins,  furans  and  PCBs.  The 
Regulation  requires  the  Member  States  to  develop  national  inventories  of  dioxin,  furan  and 
PCB  releases  and  identify  measures  to  address  them.  National  Implementation  Plans  have 
been developed or will be developed in the near future. The POP Regulation thereby ensures 
that better information on national releases of dioxins, furans and PCBs will become available 
and that national measures to address them are being defined. 

The Commission has also developed a Community Implementation Plan4, setting out actions 
to be taken at EU level. For the purpose of this plan, an assessment of priorities was made in 
order to define actions to address unintentionally released POPs, including dioxins, furans and 
PCBs. In particular, the Implementation Plan states that industrial sources should continue to 
be addressed under the existing legislative framework, including the IPPC Directive5 and the 
Waste  Incineration  Directive6.Domestic  sources,  such  as  residential  heating  with  wood  and 
coal, are becoming increasingly important and the Commission will contribute to addressing 
them  by  promoting  exchange  of  experience  and  information  between  stakeholders  and 
Member States. 

In  addition  to  this  general  development,  progress  with  the  Dioxin  Strategy  actions  for  the 
environment during the period 2004-2006 has been made in a number of specific areas: 

In the area of industrial emissions the work on identifying Best Available Techniques (BAT) 
for  pollution  prevention  and  control  has  continued  and  at  the  end  of  2006  the  last  six  of  a 
series  of  32  BREFs  (BAT  Reference  Documents)  were  finalised.  For  some  earlier  adopted 

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Regulation  (EC)  No  850/2004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  29  April  2004  on 
persistent organic pollutants and amending Directive 79/117/EEC, OJ L158, 30.4.2004. 
SEC(2007)341. 
Council  Directive  96/61/EC  of  24  September  1996  concerning  integrated  pollution  prevention  and 
control, OJ L257, 10.10.1996, p. 26. 
Directive  2000/76/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  4  December  2000  on  the 
incineration of waste, OJ L332, 28.12.2000, p. 91. 

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BREFs a review to take into account new developments has already started, including for the 
cement and lime, pulp and paper and iron and steel sectors. 

A Thematic Strategy on soil protection was adopted in September 2006. It includes a proposal 
for a framework Directive requiring Member States to prevent soil contamination, to make an 
inventory  of  contaminated  sites  and  to  remediate  the  sites  identified.  For  waste,  the  POP 
Regulation provides that POP contamination should be destroyed or irreversibly transformed 
into other substances. There are some derogations to this general rule, and in 2006 and 2007 
two  Regulations7  were  adopted  defining  limit  values  for  dioxins,  furans  and  PCBs  for  the 
application of such derogations. 

In the framework of public access to data on industrial emissions, a new  publicly available 
European pollutant register (E-PRTR) was adopted in January 20068. Compared to the present 
register  (EPER),  it  has  lower  reporting  thresholds  for  dioxins  and  furans  and  includes 
reporting of PCBs. 

During the period 2002-2005, two major studies were carried out to provide comprehensive 
information on dioxins, furans and PCBs in EU-10. The results were discussed at a workshop 
organised in Brussels in February  2005  during  which implementation  of existing legislation 
and  increased  attention  to  small  domestic  sources  were  identified  as  priorities  for  future 
work9. 

Activities undertaken in the area of feed and food 

The  Dioxin  Strategy  describes  an  integrated  approach  to  legislation  on  feed  and  food  to 
reduce the presence of dioxins, furans and PCBs throughout the  food chain. This  integrated 
approach consists of three pillars: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The establishment of strict but feasible maximum levels in feed and food taking into 
account the results obtained in lowering the presence of dioxins in the environment. 

The  establishment  of  action  levels  to  trigger  action  when  levels  in  feed  or  food  are 
found  clearly  above  background  level.  These  action  levels  have  an  early  warning 
function. 

The establishment of target levels to be achieved over time so as to bring the exposure 
of  the  majority  of  the  European  population  within  the  limits  recommended  by  the 
Scientific Committee on Food. 

During the period under review, the legislation on maximum levels in feed and food has been 
updated to also include dioxin-like PCBs by the establishment of maximum levels for the sum 

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Council  Regulation (EC)  No  1195/2006 of  18  July 2006 amending Annex IV  to  Regulation  (EC) No 
850/2004  on  persistent  organic  pollutants,  OJ  L217,  8.8.2006,  p.  1,  and  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
172/2007 of 16 February 2007 amending Annex V to Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council on persistent organic pollutants, OJ L55, 23.2.2007, p. 1. 
Regulation  (EC)  No  166/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18  January  2006 
concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, OJ L33, 4.2.2006, 
p.1. 
Study reports and workshop documents can be found at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/dioxin/index.htm#enlarged_eu 

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of  dioxins,  furans  and  dioxin-like  PCBs10.  In  order  to  ensure  a  smooth  transition,  existing 
maximum levels for dioxins and furans, in addition to new proposed maximum levels for the 
sum of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs, are maintained for a temporary period. 

Given that the sources of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs are different, the action levels set for 
dioxins  and  furans  in  2002  have  been  maintained  and  separate  action  levels  have  been 
established for dioxin-like PCBs in 2006 simultaneously with the setting of maximum levels 
for the sum of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs11. 

The  legislation  on  analytical  methodology  and  monitoring  for  feed  and  food  has  been 
reviewed and updated in view of the inclusion of dioxin-like PCBs in the established levels 
and to take account of the experiences gained12.  

On non-dioxin-like PCBs, the European Food Safety Authority has performed an assessment 
on the risks for public and animal health of the presence of non dioxin-like PCBs in feed and 
food13. Taking into account the conclusions of this risk assessment, discussions are ongoing 
on the possible setting of regulatory levels for non-dioxin-like PCBs in feed and food. 

Research activities 

To  fill  some  of  the  existing  knowledge  gaps  dioxins,  furans  and  PCBs  have,  together  with 
other  substances,  been  addressed  in  a  number  of  research  projects  funded  under  the  Sixth 
Research Framework Programme focussing on health effects, contamination of the food chain 
and  environmental  aspects.  Research  on  these  substances  has  also  been  undertaken  by  the 
Joint Research Centre in the areas of soil, water, ambient air and emissions. 

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Commission  Directive  2006/13/EC  of  3  February  2006  amending  Annexes  I  and  II  to  Directive 
2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed as 
regards dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (OJ L32, 4.2.2006, p. 44) for feed; and Commission Regulation 
(EC) 199/2006 of 3 February 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 setting maximum levels for 
certain contaminants in foodstuffs as regards dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (OJ L32, 4.2.2006, p. 34) 
for  food.  The  latter  has  been  replaced  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  1881/2006  of  19  December 
2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in food. (OJ L364, 20.12.2006, p. 5) 
Commission  Recommendation  2006/88/EC  of  6  February  2006  on  the  reduction  of  the  presence  of 
dioxins, furans and PCBs in feedingstuffs and foodstuffs (OJ L42, 14.2.2006, p. 26). 
OJ  L364,  20.12.2006,  p.32.  Regulation  replacing  Directive  2002/69/EC  of  26  July  2002  laying  down 
the  sampling  methods  and  the  methods  of  analysis  for  the  official  control  of  dioxins  and  the 
determination of dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs (OJ L209, 6.8.2002, p.5). 
www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/contam/contam_opinions/1229.Par. 
0003.File.dat/contam_op_ej284_ndl-pcb_en1.pdf 

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