Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-04-Speech-3-359"
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this evening I am standing in for Margot Wallström on this topic because Mrs Wallström had to leave today for the international climate talks in Japan and Australia. I think the Committee will be fully in agreement with Mrs Wallström representing the European side at this High Level Group because climate protection policy is one of our most pressing concerns. I should like, on behalf of the Commission, to thank the European Parliament and especially you, Mr Sjöstedt, but also the committees involved, for your constructive cooperation and outstanding report.
The background to the Commission’s communication was the serious environmental damage caused by cyanide following the dam breaches in Spain in 1998 and in Baia Mare, Romania, in January 2000. The communication mentions the three key actions planned by the Commission after the most recent mining accidents: first, amendment of the Seveso II Directive, then the presentation of the proposal for a new directive on the treatment of mining waste and, thirdly, the creation of a reference document on best available technologies
following the procedure laid down in the IPPC Directive, with a description of the best available technologies for reducing everyday pollution and preventing or reducing mining accidents.
The Baia Mare Task Force’s final report reaffirmed the need for these measures. It was Mrs Wallström who set up this Task Force to obtain more information about the Baia Mare accident and, on that basis, to devise measures to reduce or prevent such hazards in the future. In their report they welcome this communication and support the Commission’s general approach of creating a transparent and coherent framework for greater safety in mining by making appropriate amendments to environmental law and the instruments. This refers not only to the three key actions just mentioned but also to legislation that is not specific to mining, such as the proposed directive on environmental liability.
I should like to stress at this point that the three key actions mentioned now have different time frames. The proposal for a directive amending the Seveso II Directive has already completed a public consultation and, according to the Commission’s work programme for 2001, is likely to be adopted in the course of this year.
The directive will not only cover mining but also, following the tragic accident in Enschede in the Netherlands in May last year, the safe storage of fireworks. In the light of the amendment that is now before us and of what Mrs Flemming has said, I should like to add that both the mining accidents mentioned in the Commission communication occurred during activities connected with the extraction of metallic ores. The Commission therefore understands the reasons for wanting to confine the scope of the directive to this field.
But I would ask you to consider that a gradual extension of the scope of the directive – when and only when accidents have happened – is not consistent with the precautionary principle. Aristotle himself said the improbable will probably happen. Even tomorrow, there could be an accident in an industrial plant not covered by the Seveso II Directive, in which case we would make corrections retrospectively and wait for the next area, so to speak. I would therefore be pleased if Parliament would support the Commission in its efforts to be proactive rather than reactive in its proposed legislation.
A comment on the time frame for the second key action. Work on the proposal for a new directive on the treatment of mining waste is progressing well. The study of mining hot spots will soon be completed and consultation with the interest groups concerned has already begun. The proposal will probably be adopted by the Commission in 2002.
Work on the document on best available technologies began with an opening session at the European IPPC Bureau at the end of June. From past experience, however, producing such a detailed document describing the best available technologies takes two years on average. Finally, the report calls on the Commission to intensify dialogue with the European mining industry. This dialogue is already taking place. It will play a central role in implementing Community strategy for safety in mining.
Your support shows the Commission that we are on the right road. The report motivates us to continue to work hard for a swift implementation of our strategy for the prevention of mining accidents in the European Union and also in the candidate countries."@en1
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