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 Union is a Party to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents done at Helsinki on 17 March 1992 (‘the Convention’).
(2)
Annex I to the Convention contains categories and named hazardous substances for the purpose of defining hazardous activities.
(3)
In accordance with Article 26(4) of the Convention, any amendment to Annex I to the Convention shall become effective, for those Parties to the Convention which have not notified their objection, 12 months after its communication to the Parties by the Executive Secretary upon its adoption at the Conference of the Parties by a nine-tenths majority of the Parties present and voting at the meeting, provided that at least sixteen Parties have not notified objections.
(4)
The text of the proposal for an amendment to Annex I to the Convention was agreed within the Working Group on the Development of the Convention, endorsed by the Bureau of the Convention, and will be proposed for adoption at the Eighth Conference of the Parties taking place in Geneva from 3 to 5 December 2014.
(5)
The amendment to Annex I to the Convention would fully align that Annex to Annex I to Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council.
(6)
The amendment to Annex I to the Convention should therefore be approved.
(7)
At the time of the conclusion of the Convention, the Union made reservations concerning the application of the Convention in accordance with the Community's internal rules. Those reservations were based on discrepancies between Annex I to the Convention and the Union legislation in force. Those discrepancies will no longer exist after Annex I to the Convention has been amended. Those reservations should, therefore, be lifted once the amendment to Annex I to the Convention has become effective,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: