COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2023/1006

of 25 April 2023

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants as regards the proposals for amendment of Annex A to that Convention

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 192(1), in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (1) (the ‘Convention’) entered into force on 17 May 2004 and was concluded on behalf of the Union by Council Decision 2006/507/EC (2).

(2) Pursuant to Article 8 of the Convention, the Conference of the Parties may list chemicals in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention and may specify control measures related to such chemicals.

(3) The recommendations of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (the ‘POPRC’), set up in accordance with the Convention should be duly taken into account.

(4) At its eleventh meeting, the Conference of the Parties is expected to adopt decisions to list additional chemicals in Annex A to the Convention.

(5) In order to protect human health and the environment from further releases of dechlorane plus, methoxychlor and UV-328, it is necessary to reduce or to eliminate the production and use of those chemicals at global level and to support their listing in the relevant annexes to the Convention.

(6) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the Conference of the Parties, as the decisions will be binding on the Union or capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3),

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, taking due account of the relevant recommendations of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (the ‘POPRC’), shall be the following:

(a) to support the listing of dechlorane plus in Annex A, with the specific exemptions recommended by the POPRC;

(b) to support the listing of methoxychlor in Annex A, without any specific exemptions;

Article 2

Refinements of the position referred to in Article 1, in light of the developments at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties may be agreed upon by representatives of the Union, in consultation with the Member States, during on-the-spot coordination meetings without further decision of the Council.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 25 April 2023.

For the Council

The President

P. KULLGREN

(1)

OJ L 209, 31.7.2006, p. 3

(2) Council Decision 2006/507/EC of 14 October 2004 concerning the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (

OJ L 209, 31.7.2006, p. 1

(3) Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants (

OJ L 169, 25.6.2019, p. 45