Extractive industry: safe operation of mining activities, follow-up to recent accidents

The committee adopted the report by Jonas SJÖSTEDT (EUL/NGL, S) on the Commission communication. Although it endorsed the Commission's aim of amending existing legislation to cover mining activities, including the extension of the Seveso II Directive to cover risks arising from storage and processing activities in mining, and the addition of certain types of mining waste to the EU hazardous waste list, the committee also called for a specific Directive on mining waste. It wanted mining companies to abide by the same basic guidelines and rules irrespective of where they operated and pointed out that mining waste was one of the largest waste streams in the Community and was responsible for 18% of overall waste generation. The committee also stressed that the effects of mining accidents transcend borders and that there are large quantities of unaccounted for mining waste - frequently hazardous and leaking - in the territory of the EU Member States and candidate countries. �