Subject matter and objective
This Regulation establishes measures and conditions concerning the use and storage of and trade in mercury, mercury compounds and mixtures of mercury, and the manufacture and use of and trade in mercury-added products, and the management of mercury waste, in order to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
Member States may, where appropriate, apply stricter requirements than those laid down in this Regulation, in accordance with the TFEU.
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:
(1)
‘mercury’ means metallic mercury (Hg, CAS RN 7439-97-6);
(2)
‘mercury compound’ means any substance consisting of atoms of mercury and one or more atoms of other chemical elements that can be separated into different components only by chemical reactions;
(3)
‘mixture’ means a mixture or solution composed of two or more substances;
(4)
‘mercury-added product’ means a product or product component that contains mercury or a mercury compound that was intentionally added;
(5)
‘mercury waste’ means metallic mercury that qualifies as waste as defined in point (1) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/98/EC;
(6)
‘export’ means any of the following:
(a)
the permanent or temporary export of mercury, mercury compounds, mixtures of mercury and mercury-added products meeting the conditions of Article 28(2) TFEU;
(b)
the re-export of mercury, mercury compounds, mixtures of mercury and mercury-added products not meeting the conditions of Article 28(2) TFEU which are placed under a customs procedure other than the external Union transit procedure for movement of goods through the customs territory of the Union;
(7)
‘import’ means the physical introduction into the customs territory of the Union of mercury, mercury compounds, mixtures of mercury and mercury-added products that are placed under a customs procedure other than the external Union transit procedure for movement of goods through the customs territory of the Union;
(8)
‘disposal’ means disposal as defined in point (19) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/98/EC;
(9)
‘primary mercury mining’ means mining in which the principal material sought is mercury;
(10)
‘conversion’ means the chemical transformation of the physical state of mercury from a liquid state to mercury sulfide or a comparable chemical compound that is equally or more stable and equally or less soluble in water and that presents no greater environmental or health hazard than mercury sulfide;
(11)
‘placing on the market’ means supplying or making available, whether in return for payment or free of charge, to a third party. Import shall be deemed to be placing on the market.
