EU Consultation on Draft Union Implementation Plan for POPs

by Sandra Tiah

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The European Commission has launched a consultation on a draft of the 3rd European Union Implementation Plan (UIP) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The initial European plan, titled the “Community Implementation Plan” (CIP) was developed in 2007, followed by the “Union Implementation Plan” (UIP), in 2014. The review and update of the latter has become necessary to further address the inclusion of several new POPs into the Stockholm Convention, as well as the technical and legislative progress made in this field.

The objectives of the UIP are:

• To review the existing Union level measures related to POPs;
• To assess their efficiency and sufficiency in meeting the obligations of the Stockholm Convention;
• To identify needs for further Union level measures;
• To establish a plan for implementing additional measures;
• To identify and reinforce links and potential synergies between POPs management and other environmental policies and other policy fields; and
• To increase awareness on POPs and their control measures.

The final revised UIP on POPs will be submitted to the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention.