Annex II DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 29(4) OF THE CONVENTION ON THE TRANSBOUNDARY EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS; CONCERNING COMPETENCE

In accordance witht the EC Treaty, the objectives and principles of the Community's environmental policy are, in particular, to preserve and protect the quality of the environment and human health through preventive action. In pursuit of those objectives, the Council adopted Council Directive 82/501/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities which has been replaced by Council Directive 96/82/EC of 9 December 1996 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances. These instruments aim at the prevention of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances and the limitations of their consequences for man and the environment and cover matters which are the subject of the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. The Community will inform the depositary of any amendment to this Directive and of any further relevant development in the field covered by the Convention.

As regards the application of the Convention, the Community and its Member States are responsible, within their respective spheres of competence.