Article 3
1. The Commission shall, at five-yearly intervals, make a comparative assessment of the implementation of these programmes and measures by Contracting Parties on the basis of information supplied to it by them pursuant to Article 17 of the Convention. The information concerned shall, in particular, comprise: -details of authorizations laying down emission standards for discharges of cadmium, -the results of information collected or inventories drawn up concerning cadmium discharged into the maritime area, and into watercourses that affect the maritime area, referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1, -information laid down in Annex IV, paragraph 2 for those Contracting Parties applying the quality objectives, -the results of the monitoring of the aquatic environment carried out in accordance with Article 2. Where appropriate, these should be submitted within the framework of the Joint Monitoring Programme. 2. In the event of a change in scientific knowledge relating principally to the toxicity, persistence and accumulation of cadmium in living organisms and sediments, or in the event of an improvement in the best technical means available, the Commission shall consider appropriate proposals with the aim of reinforcing, if necessary, the limit values and the quality objectives, or of establishing additional limit values and additional quality objectives.