Central to the agreement is a pledge by member states to "make progress towards compliance" on environmental quality standards (EQS) for 33 pollutants by 2018. The standards are based on maximum concentration levels and yearly average pollutant values that are harmonised throughout the EU.
Of the 33 substances affected, 13 are currently qualified as 'priority hazardous' and would need to be entirely phased out within 20 years, as suggested in the Commission's original text. The 13 substances include heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium.
MEPs in the environment committee had pushed for a significant expansion of the list. But the demand was dropped as part of the compromise with the Council, whereby the list could be expanded pending a Commission review in 2013, or two years after the law enters into force in 2011.
Standards for any new priority hazardous substances identified would also be proposed by the Commission and would be adopted by Council and Parliament two years later, in 2015.
By 2009, member states will also be obliged to set up an inventory of emissions, discharges and losses of pollutants for river basins on their territory. The Commission will use this inventory to measure progress on the phasing out of priority hazardous substances, and will present a status report in 2018.
