The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade ('the Convention') is implemented by Regulation (EU) No 649/2012. In accordance with that Regulation, the Commission is to provide the Secretariat of the Convention with final or interim import responses on behalf of the Union concerning the future import of all chemicals that are subject to the Prior Informed Consent procedure (the 'PIC procedure').

At its ninth meeting, held in Geneva from 29 April to 10 May 2019, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention agreed to list certain chemicals in Annex III to the Convention with the effect that they became subject to the PIC procedure. A decision guidance document for each chemical was sent to the Commission on 16 September 2019 with a request for a decision regarding future import of the chemical.

The manufacturing, placing on the market and use of commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether (including tetra- and pentabromodiphenyl ether) and commercial octabromodiphenyl ether (including hexa- and heptabromodiphenyl ether) are, subject to certain exemptions, prohibited under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021. Therefore, consent under the Rotterdam Convention should only be given to the future import of pentabromodiphenyl ether and commercial octabromodiphenyl ether to the Union, if certain conditions are met.

The manufacturing, placing on the market and use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonates, perfluorooctane sulfonamides and perfluorooctane sulfonyls (PFOS) are, subject to certain exemptions, prohibited under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021. Therefore, consent under the Rotterdam Convention should only be given to the future import of PFOS to the Union, if certain conditions are met.

Since the regulatory developments in the Union brought about by Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 have taken place after the adoption of the Implementing Decision of 15 May 2014, that Decision should be amended accordingly,