Control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances The European Commission has published an amended proposal for a Council Directive on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances. The Directive was initially proposed in April 1994, in reaction to the accident in Bhopal, India. The aim of the proposal... The European Commission has published an amended proposal for a Council Directive on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances. The Directive was initially proposed in April 1994, in reaction to the accident in Bhopal, India. The aim of the proposal is to put in place a more effective system for preventing major accidents involving dangerous substances and for limiting their consequences for man and the environment. It notably sets out provisions for the improvement of safety management, the control of land-use planning and the provision of information to the public. The amendments introduced by the present proposal extend and expand on certain provisions of the original proposal. In particular, the amended proposal requires that: - The Commission and Member States should develop relations with relevant international bodies with a view to establishing equivalent policies for use in third countries; - The authorities responsible for drawing up external emergency plans and taking the necessary decisions in cases of major accidents should be adequately trained; - The Commission should prepare a communication setting out the case, and most appropriate instrument, for action with regard to the transmission of dangerous substances through pipelines; an area not covered by the scope of the present Directive. The amended proposal was submitted by the Commission on 19 June 1995.
