Posted on October, 14 1999
Fifteen nations, including 12 EU member states, agreed in 1998 to reduce the level of man-made chemicals in the North-East Atlantic to close to zero. These countries, all signatories to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic, set a target of 2020 to end the discharge and emissions of hazardous substances into the sea.
But action to implement this commitment is being hampered by the refusal of the European Commission to release vital information on chemicals. The Commission is refusing to hand over data it possesses more than fifty chemicals which may be hazardous and which may be being discharged into the North East Atlantic. The reason cited by the Commission is that information on production quantities is confidential when the chemicals involved are produced or imported by less than four companies.
On Monday 18 October national experts from the countries which signed the OSPAR Convention will meet in Berne, Switzerland, to decide how to proceed.
Stephan Lutter, WWF's North East Atlantic Co-ordinator, said "I am amazed that the European Commission can even consider withholding information needed to clean up the ocean bordering northern Europe."
"By refusing to hand over the information, the Commission and industry are making it impossible for OSPAR to take sensible decisions on which chemical discharges and emissions into the North East Atlantic should be phased out."
The Commission is withholding information on production volumes of over fifty chemicals including TBT and Lindane.
The OSPAR Signatories to the OSPAR Convention are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK and the European Union plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
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For more information: Julian Scola, Press Officer, WWF European Policy Office, telephone +32 2 743 8806, or e-mail jscola@wwfnet.org