Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000953/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Wouter Beke (PPE)
The Major Accident Hazards Bureau (MAHB) is part of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and provides scientific and technical support for policy associated with chemical safety and security. It was created in the 1980s to support the Seveso Directive on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances and has become a leading centre for industrial safety expertise in the EU and globally. The MAHB’s work programme (a shared responsibility of the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and the JRC) will end in 2025. It has been brought to my attention that several stakeholders have expressed concerns to DG ENV and the JRC on multiple occasions about the impact of stopping the key activities of the MAHB, especially given the emerging safety challenges related to large-scale hydrogen and ammonia use arising from the energy transition.
- 1.Can the JRC clarify why the key activities of the MAHB (e.g. accident analysis and lessons learnt studies, identifying emerging trends, risk modeling software, facilitating knowledge exchange and providing technical and scientific support at EU-level) are being terminated?
- 2.How will the Commission ensure the continuity of competent and sustainable technical and scientific support in this policy domain?
- 3.If the support is not going to be continued, can the Commission provide the key points of its impact assessment?
Submitted: 6.3.2025