Source: European Parliament
Regulation (EU) No 649/2012[1] implements the United Nations Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade.
The export notification is built on the principle that it is for importing countries to decide whether to consent to the import of certain chemicals ( including asbestos ) and that exporting countries must respect those decisions.
According to the Commission’s information, in the past 5 years Chrysotile was exported in 2021 from France to India in a quantity of 0.001 tonnes in the form of articles containing the fibre (contained in aircrafts).
As regards exports of asbestos fibres ( Actinolite, Amosite, Anthophyllite, Chrysotile, Crocidolite, Tremolite) in the past 5 years, according to the database on export notifications[2], exports from EU Member States had only been planned in 2020 (to Australia, Canada, China, Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, United States) and in 2022 (to the United Kingdom).
These exports are exempted from the scope of the PIC Regulation as the chemicals are ‘exported for the purpose of research or analysis in quantities that are unlikely to affect human health or the environment and that in any event do not exceed 10 kg from each exporter to each importing country per calendar year’[3]. But the Commission does not know whether these exports took place and in which quantity below 10 kg.
In parallel, the Chemicals strategy for sustainability[4] states that the EU will, in line with international commitments, ensure that hazardous chemicals banned in the EU are not produced for export, including by amending relevant legislation if and as needed. A study on this initiative is ongoing and will inform about the available options.
- [1] Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 concerning the export and import of hazardous chemicals (recast), OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 60-106.
- [2] https://echa.europa.eu/fr/information-on-chemicals/pic/export-notifications
- [3] Article 2(3) of the PIC Regulation.
- [4] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/chemicals-strategy_en