CELEX: 51988PC0624
Language: en
Date: 1988-11-10
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DIRECTIVE amending in respect of chromium Directive 86/278/EEC on the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture (presented by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (88) 624
Vol. 1988/0208
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique européenne et de
la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
lieu par le règlement (UE) 2015/496 du Conseil du 17 mars 2015 (JO L79 du 25. 3.2015, p. 1), ce
dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents classifiés présents dans ce dossier
ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit règlement ou sont considérés déclassifiés
conformément aux articles 26(3) et 59(2) de la décision (UE, Euratom) 2015/444 de la
Commission du 13 mars 2015 concernant les règles de sécurité aux fins de la protection des
informations classifiées de l'Union européenne.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as last amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 (OJ L 79, 27.3.2015, p. 1), this file is open to the
public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity
with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation or are considered declassified in conformity with
Articles (26.3) and 59(2) of the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015
on the security rules for protecting EU classified information.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in diesem Akt in
Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben; beziehungsweise werden
sie auf Grundlage von Artikel 26(3) und 59(2) der Entscheidung der Kommission (EU, Euratom)
2015/444 vom      13. März 2015 über die Sicherheitsvorschriften für den Schutz von EU-
Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                        COM(88 ) 624 final
                                                      Brussels , 10 November 1988
                                Proposai for a
                              COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
amending in respect of chromium Directive 86 / 278 / EEC on the protection
    of the environment , and in particular of the soil , when sewage
                     sludge is used in agriculture
                      ( presented by the Commission )
                            h-  ■    S. -         'vV,5*
                           Z-..                ,   -te*
                           ‘r
                           i"
                                   -s          , l! . ....
                                                      ■  7
                            \\                   ,У
 ---pagebreak---                            EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
The purpose of this proposal for a Directive is to
supplement Directive 86 / 278 / EEC of 12 June 1986 on the
protection of the environment , and in particular the soil
when sewage sludge is used in agriculture 1 by adding limic
values for chromium .
1 . Directive 86 / 278 / EEC seeks to reconcile two requirements
    which may conflict :
    ( a ) the need to protect farmland on which sewage sludge
          is used from contamination by heavy metals and to
          ensure that it can continue to supply high-quality
          agricultural products ;
    ( b ) the need to encourage the use of sewage sludge in
          agriculture , so that full advantage can be taken of
          the organic matter and nutrients which it contains ,
          thereby reducing the cost of disposing of such waste
          produced by domestic and urban waste water treatment
          plants .
    To this end , the Directive lays down various provisions
    controlling the use of sludge in agriculture and , in
    particular , three types of standard which apply to sludge
    spreading :
    ( a ) limit values for heavy metal concentrations in the
          soil on farmland where sewage sludge may be used ;
    ( b ) limit values for concentrations of the same heavy
          metals in sludge of which the use has been
          authorized ;
    ( c ) limit values for the amounts of heavy metals which
          may be added annually to soil , expressed in
          kg / ha / year .
1   OJ No L 181 , 4.7.1986
                                                                 2
 ---pagebreak---     The Council has laid down numerical limits for the
    following metals :
        cadmium
        copper
        nickel
        lead
        zinc
        mercury .
    Insufficient scientific and technical data were available
    to the Council during its discussions to enable it to fix
    limit values for chromium .
    Accordingly , it was decided that the Council would fix
    those values at a later date , on the basis of proposals
    to be submitted by the Commission .
2 . There has been little scientific study of the effects of
    chromium inputs into farmland soil .
    After the Directive was adopted , the Commission had a
    scientific and technical study carried out by a soil
    science expert , Hr J. H. Williams . This study collates and
    summarizes all the existing scientific data on the
    behaviour of chromium in agricultural soil and the effect
    of chromium uptake on agricultural products . The study
    was completed early in 1988 .
    In February 1988 the Commission also called a meeting of
    national experts in this field . They discussed the
    initial findings of Mr Williams' study and provided the
    Commission with further information on the situation in
    their own countries .
    On the basis of the final conclusions of the Williams
    report and the meeting of national experts , and in
    accordance with Directive 86 / 278 / EEC , the Commission
    drafted an amendment to that Directive , containing three
    sets of limit values for chromium :
        - lirait values for concentrations in soil ;
        - limit values for concentrations in sludge for use in
          agriculture ;
                                                                   I
                                                                   S
                                                                   I
                                                                   I
                                                                   I
                                                                   I
                                                                 3
 ---pagebreak---         - limit values for amounts which may be added annually
        to
          agricultural land .
3 . Several Member States already have legislation regarding
    sewage sludge used on farmland . The Community Directive
    has not yet been formally applied by the Member States
    and it does not have to be implemented until June 1989 .
    Before the Directive was adopted , Denmark , France and
    Germany had already adopted legislation on the use of
    sludge for agricultural purposes . Moreover , codes of
    conduct or recommendations have been published in other
    Member States , but usually for guidance only . This is
    the case in Belgium , Ireland , Italy , the Netherlands and
    the United Kingdom . Furthermore , they do not necessarily
    include limit values for chromium .     In the case of
    countries which have laid down limit values or
    recommended values for chromium , these range from 100 to
    150 mg / kg in soil ( with a maximum value of 600 mg / kg in
    one Member State ) and from 100 to 2000 mg / kg in sludge .
    These differences are chiefly due to the great diversity
    of predominant soil types in the Member States , to the
    variability of their pH or their clay and organic matter
    contents and to the very varied types of farming carried
    out in the Community .
    The legal basis for this proposal for an amendment is
    Directive 86 / 278 / EEC and in particular Annexes I A , I B
    and I C.
    This proposal for an amendment , like Directive 86 / 278 / EEC
    which it is intended to supplement , falls within the
    framework of the Community Environmental Action
    Programme . The legal basis for all such legislation is
    Article 130s , which requires prior consultation with
    Parliament and with the Economic and Social Committee .
    This proposal has no particular financial implications
    for the Commission .
 ---pagebreak--- Comments on the proposal for a Dlreotlve
This proposal for an amendment to Directive 86 / 278 / EEC is
presented pursuant to the provisions of Annex I to the
Directive , in order to supplement Annexes I A , I B and I C
with respect to chromium .
Annex T A : Limit values for concentrations of heavy metals
in soil
As with the other heavy metals referred to in Annex I A , two
concentration values are proposed to define the range within
which the Member States must lay down a limit value in
accordance with Article 5(1 ) of the Directive . The proposed
limit values range from 100 to 200 mg / kg of dry matter in
soil . All the scientific reports indicate that chromium in
soil on farmland has no harmful effects either on the soil
or on crops at this level of concentration . It is therefore
permissible to use sludge containing chromium provided that
the concentration of chromium in the soil remains below this
level .     It should be noted in this connection that Article 8
of the Directive provides that , where sludge is used on
soils with a pH below 6 , Member States must take into
account the increased mobility and availability to the crop
of heavy metals and must , if necessary , reduce the limit
values they have laid down in accordance with the Annex . In
all cases , an upper limit value of 200 mg / kg must be taken
as an absolute ceiling hazardous to exceed .
Annex I B : Limit values for heavy metal concentrations in
sludge for use in agriculture
Two values are proposed to define the range within which
Member States must lay down a limit value in accordance with
Article 5(2 ).     The limit values adopted are from 1000 to
1750 mg / kg of dry matter . The maximum limit value of 1750
mg / kg is relatively high and if sludge is used continuously
at this level of concentration it will not be long before
the concentration of chromium in the soil reaches its
maximum permitted level . However , experiments have shown
that the occasional use of sewage sludge containing these
amounts of chromium has no harmful effect on vegetation .
Annex I C : Limit values for amounts of heavy metals which
may be added annually to agricultural land , based on a 10 -
year average
ikg / ha / yr )
As with the other heavy metals referred to in the first
column , only one limit value is proposed for chromium .
Since the base chromium level in normal soils is estimated
at 50 mg / kg , the concentration margin between this base
 ---pagebreak--- level and the 200 mg / kg limit value which must not he
exceeded is 150 mg / kg .
Taking an average density of l,20g / om3 and a depth of 25
cm ( the sampling depth provided for in Annex II C to the
Directive ), the maximum quantity of chromium which can he
added to one hectare of land can be calculated , in absolute
terms , as 450 kg .    If it is considered acceptable to reach
the maximum limit value for concentration in soil after 100
years , then the limit value for the amount of chromium which
may be added annually is 4,5 kg / ha per year , based on a ten-
year average ( i.e. 45 kg / ha over a ten-year period ).  This
value of 4,5 kg / ha / yr has therefore been adopted as the
limit value proposed by the Commission in respect of
chromium , for the purposes of applying Article 5(2)(b ).
 ---pagebreak---                              Proposai for a
                           COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
                  AMENDING IN RESPECT OF CHROMIUM
          DIRECTIVE 66 / 278 / EEC ON TEE PROTECTION OF TEE
             ENVIRONMENT . AND IN PARTICULAR OF THE SOIL .
             WHEN SEWAGE SLUDGE IS USED IN AGRICULTURE
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
 Economic Community , and in particular Article 130s thereof ,
 Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
 Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
 Having  regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social
 Committee ,
 Whereas Council Directive 86 / 278 / EEC1 lays down limit values
 for certain heavy metals in cultivated soil by fixing limit
 values for concentrations of them in sludge used in
 agriculture and by fixing limit values for amounts of heavy
 metals which which may be added annually to agricultural
 land , based on a 10-year average ; whereas Annex I to the
 Directive provides for the fixing of limit values for
 cadmium , copper , nickel , lead , zinc , mercury and chromium ;
 Whereas Annex I to      Directive 86 / 278 / EEC states
 that the limit values for chromium were not fixed because of
 insufficient scientific data and that it was agreed that the
 Council would fix these values later on the basis of a
 proposal from the Commission ;
 Whereas recent practical and experimental developments in
  the use of sewage sludge in agriculture have provided
  further scientific information on the effect of chromium on
  soils and crops ; whereas this new information now enables
  limit values for chromium to be fixed with certainty , and at
 a high level of protection ,
 HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
( DOJ No L 181 , 4.7.1986 , p.6
 ---pagebreak---                             Artide 1
Annex I to Directive 86 / 278 / EEC is hereby amended as
follows :
1 ) In Annex I A ,
    - the dash in the last line of the second column of the
      table is replaced by " 100 to 200 "
    -Footnote ( 3 ) to the table is deleted .
2 ) In Annex I B ,
    - the dash in the last line of the second oolumn of the
      table is replaoed by "1 000 to 1 750 "
    - Footnote ( lj to the table is deleted .
3 ) In Annex I C ,
    - the dash in the last line of the second column of the
      table is replaced by " 4,5 "
    -Footnote ( 2 ) to the table is deleted .
                             Article 2
1 . Member States shall bring into force the laws ,
    regulations and administrative provisions necessary to
    comply with this Directive no later than 1 January 1990 .
    They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof .
2 . Member States shall communicate to the Commission the
    texts of the provisions of national law which they adopt
    in the field governed by this Directive .
                             Article 3
This Directive is addressed to the Member States .
Done at                                   For the Council
 ---pagebreak---                    FICHE D' IMPACT SUR LA COMPETITIVITE ET L' EMPLOI
I.     Quelle est la justification principale de la mesure ?
       Limitation du chrome dans les sols agricoles et dans les boues de stations
       d'épuration d'eaux usées domestiques, en application de la directive
       86I278ICEE.
II .   Caractéristiques des entreprises concernées . En particulier :
       a ) Y a -t - il un grand nombre de PME ?
       Aucune, seules les exploitations agricoles sont concernées.
       b ) Note-t-on des concentrations dans des régions
            i . éligibles aux aides régionales des Etats membres ?
            ii . éligibles au Feder ?
III .  Quelles sont les obligations imposées directement aux entreprises ?
       Aucune .
 IV .  Quelles sont les obligations susceptibles d' être imposées indirectement
       aux entreprises via les autorités locales ?
       Limitation des rejets de chrome dans les eaux d'égout qui fait déjà l'objet
       d' une proposition de directive de la Commission transmise au Conseil -
       COM(85)733 final.
 V.    Y a -t- il des mesures spéciales pour les PME ?
       Lesquelles ?
       Non
 VI .  Quel est l' effet prévisible
       a ) sur la compétitivité des entreprises ?
       Aucun
        b ) sur l' emploi ?
       Aucun
 VII .  Les partenaires sociaux ont-ils été consultés ?
       Quels sont leurs avis ?
       Non