CELEX: 51988PC0849
Language: en
Date: 1988-12-22
Title: Second amendment to the proposal for a Council Directive on procedures for harmonizing the programmes for the reduction and eventual elimination of pollution caused by waste from the titanium dioxide industry (presented by the Commission to the Council pursuant to the Single Act)

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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                   COM ( 88 ) 849  final  SYN
                                                   Brussels , 26 January 1989
       Second amendment to the proposal for a Council Directive
           on procedures for harmonizing the programmes for
         the reduction and eventual elimination of pollution
          caused by waste from the titanium dioxide industry
  ( presented by the Commission to the Council pursuant to the Single Act )
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 ---pagebreak---                                                                              /•* 1 f
                              Explanatory Memorandum
      The following is to be added to the explanatory memorandum on the proposal for
      a Council Directive on procedures for harmonizing the programmes for the re¬
      duction and eventual elimination of pollution caused by waste from the titanium
                          (1)
      dioxide industry
1 1 . General objectives of the Directive
      Since this proposal was drafted , on the basis of the programmes received from
      the Member States and of meetings with advisers and with national experts from
      each Member State , the Commission has noted big , and widening , differences in
      the conditions of competition in the titanium dioxide industry , stemming mainly
      from the methods of treating each kind of waste and the measures taken to re¬
      duce or prohibit discharges . Full details of these differences are set out in
      a Commission staff paper on the percentage increase in the end-product when a
      series of measures are taken to reduce pollution of various parts of the en¬
      vironment or to ban certain discharges        . These differences amount to between
      10 and 20 % of the cost of the end product .
      Under these conditions , the Commission departments concerned feel that the
      principal object is to remove the existing distortions of competition between
      producers of titanium dioxide by harmonizing existing or projected pollution-
      reduction programmes .
       M)   C0MC83 ) 189 final ; C0MÍ84 ) 303 final ;
           0J No C 138 , 26.5.1983 ; 0J No C 167 , 27.6.1984 .
       (2)  SEC ( 84 ) 250 .
                                                                                     Ъ
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 2 -
     Consequent ly , th£ Commission is simply implementing provisions laid down in
     Article 9(3 ) of Directive 78 / 176 / EEC on waste from the titanium dioxide
     . . .    (3)
     industry
     To take account of the entry into force of the Single Act on 1 July 1987,
     the Commission is basing its proposal on Article 100a . Paragraph 1 of
     Article 100a empowers the Commission to propose provisions to achieve the
     objectives set out in Article 8a , i.e. measures for the approximation or
     harmonization of the national measures " which have as their object the
     establishment and functioning of the internal market ", in which the eli ¬
     mination of differences in the conditions of competition is a fundamental
     element . Paragraph 3 of Article 100a stipulates that the Commission 's
     proposals based on paragraph 1 may include environmental protection measures .
12 . Comments by the Member States
     In June 1986 the German Government tabled a memorandum at the Council meeting
     on the environment calling for the resumption of discussions on this proposal
     and stating that the talks should concentrate on the reduction and effective
     elimination of waste discharges from the titanium dioxideindustry .
     On 18 May 1987 the Belgian Government submitted a memorandum informing the
     Council that it was banning all dumping at sea of waste from the titanium
     dioxide industry after 31 December 1989 ( Royal Decree of 23 January 1987 )
     and calling for improvements in the conditions of competition in the industry
     and for its EEC partners to take similar measures .
     In June 1987 the Italian delegation submitted a memorandum recalling that the
     Decree of 14 November 1986 from the Italian Minister of the Environment bans
     the dumping at sea of waste from the titanium dioxide industry with effect
     from 16 November 1988 and calling for the resumption of the deliberations on
     the proposal for a Directive at the earliest possible date .
     (3)  O.J. L 54 , 25.02.1978 .
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 3 -
13 . Cooperation with the European Parliament and consultation of th e Economic
     and Social Committee
   - The Economic and Social Committee gave its opinion on the original proposal
     on 26 October 1983 .
   - Parliament debated the proposal on 10 April 1984 , when it adopted a number of
     amendments   plus part of the report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on
     the Environment , Public Health and Consumer Protection and requested a number
     of amendments to the Commission 's original text .
     The Commission accepted Parliament 's call and adopted eight of the proposed
     amendments in accordance with Article 149(2 ) of the Treaty; on 25 May 1984 the
                                                                     (4)
     Commission amended its original proposal ( C0M(84 ) 303 final )
   - In communication C0MC87 ) 393 the Commission informed the Council of the
     reasons for a change in the legal basis and procedure following the entry into
     force of the Single European Act .
   - The cooperation procedure with Parliament must be initiated as soon as possible
     to take account of the relevant provisions of the Single European Act , namely .
     Article 100A .
14 . Amendments to the explanatory memorandum
     The following paragraph is to be added to Section 1 (" Introduction ") of the
     explanatory memorandum :
     " The principal object of this proposal is removal of existing distortions
     of competition between producers of titanium dioxide by harmonizing existing
     or projected pollution-reduction programmes .
     To take account of the entry into force of the Single European Act on 1 July
     1987, the Commission is basing its proposal on Article 100a".
15 . Amendments to the recitals to the proposal for a directive
     Further to the entry into force of the Single Act and to the reference to
     Article 100A, additional recitals have been inserted and existing recitals
     completed or amended .
     (4)   O.J. No C 167 , 27.6.1984 .
 ---pagebreak--- THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
 and in particular Article 100Athereof ,
 Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
 In cooperation with the European Parliament ,
 Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ,
 Whereas Article 9(1 ) of Council Di rective 78 / 1 76 / EF.C of 20 February 1978 on waste
 from the titanium dioxide industry , as last amended by Directive 83 / 29 / EEC ,
 requires the Member States to draw up programmes for the progressive reduction
 and eventual elimination of pollution caused by waste from existing industrial
 establishments ;
Whereas pursuant to Article 9(3 ) of Directive 78 / 176 / EEC the Commission is re ¬
quired to submit proposals for the harmonization of these programmes with regard
 to the reduction and eventual elimination of this pollution and the improvement
of the conditions of competition in the titanium dioxide industry ;
 Whereas the different levels of environmental protection provided under the
 national programmes established pursuant to Article 9 of Directive 78 / 176 / EEC
 have created disparities in the cost of the end product , ranging from 10 to
 20 '/. according to Member States ;
Whereas as a result of the implementation of Directive 78 / 176/ EEC a certain
 level of environmental protection has already been obtained within the
Community ;
Whereas the principal object of the present Directive is consequently the
elimination of the distortions of competition that exist between the
different producers of titanium dioxide ;
Whereas , with this regard , existing or projected national programmes should
therefore be harmonized on the basis of a high level of protection ;
Whereas the object of the present Directive and the approximation of
programmes pursue the establishment and correct functioning of the internal
market .
                                                                                     5
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas the Community must adopt measures with the aim of progressively
establishing the internal market over a period expiring on 31 December 1992 ;
Whereas the programmes , duly submitted to the Commission , set general
interim targets for the reduction of pollution from liquid , solid and
gaseous wastes ;
Whereas in order to protect the aquatic environment the dumping of solid wastes
should be prohibited and discharges of liquid wastes from the manufacturing
processes , and in particular of strong acids , effluents from treatment pro ¬
cesses and weak acids , should be reduced and prohibited ;
Whereas in respect of gaseous discharges from the manufacturing processes it
is necessary to fix reference values designed to reduce discharges of dust ,
sulphur dioxide , sulphur trioxide and chlorine and to have a long-term pre ¬
ventive effect to protect health and the environment ;
Whereas existing industrial establishments must employ the appropriate systems
for treating the wastes in order to attain the requisite levels by the set dates ;
Whereas the provisions of this Directive in no way prejudice the obligations
placed on Member States by Council Directives 80 / 68 / EEC of 17 December 1979
on the protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous
            (1)
substances .     and 80 / 779 / EEC of 15 July 1980 on air quality limit values and
                                                                  (2)
guide valúes for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates           ;
Whereas this Directive creates no special problems for less developed
economies ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE
 (1)  OJ No L    20 , 26.1.1980 , p. 43 .
 (2)  0J No L   229 , 30.8.1980 , p. 30 .
                                                                                   £