Persistent organic pollutants

This Commission Staff Working Document accompanies the report on the review and update of the first European Community Implementation Plan in accordance with Article 8(4) of Regulation No 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants.

The Staff Working Document presents a status quo of the EU's execution of its obligations as a Party to the above-mentioned international frameworks. It describes the relevant EU legislation put in place (including the POPs Regulation, REACH, and the CLP Regulation) as well as the financial instruments that support implementation.

In an effort to provide as detailed a picture as possible, the document proceeds to give an overall assessment of POPs, regarding their production, their use, their placing on the market as well as with regard to existing stockpiles and the contamination of the waste stream.

The Working Document also includes an in-depth analysis of each individual obligation of the Stockholm Convention affecting the EU's treatment of POPs. Subsequent to this analysis, the Commission identifies 26 technical measures to improve implementation of the EU's obligations under Stockholm.