Soil decontamination: the period during which soil contaminated by pesticides or persistent organic pollutants may be introduced into the European Union (EU)

On 21th of March 2017, on the Official Journal of the European Union it was published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/487 of 17 March 2017 amending Decision 2005/51/EC as regards the period during which soil contaminated by pesticides or persistent organic pollutants may be introduced into the Union for decontamination purposes (notified under document C(2017) 1693).

By Commission Decision 2005/51/EC Member States were temporarily authorised to provide for a derogation from those provisions, subject to specific conditions, in respect of soil contaminated by pesticides or persistent organic pollutants, when imported for decontamination purposes and destined for treatment in dedicated hazardous waste incinerators.

Some Member States have requested an extension of the authorisation to provide for that derogation. From the information submitted by Member States pursuant to Decision 2005/51/EC, it has revealed there is no phytosanitary risk from the activity covered by Decision 2005/51/EC.

In the second paragraph of Article 1 of Decision 2005/51/EC, the date ‘28 February 2017’ is replaced by ‘31 December 2019’.

The Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/487 is addressed to the Member States.

Sources:

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/487 of 17 March 2017 amending Decision 2005/51/EC as regards the period during which soil contaminated by pesticides or persistent organic pollutants may be introduced into the Union for decontamination purposes (notified under document C(2017) 1693), OJEU L75 of 21 march 2017