According to data received by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) from Member States, imports of other hazardous chemicals into the European Union (EU) decreased by 56% in 2023.
The annual report prepared under the PIC Regulation (Prior Informed Consent Regulation) on the import and export of chemicals banned or severely restricted in the European Union shows that substances containing benzene continued to dominate trade in 2023.
Benzene, as a component of other substances in concentrations equal to or higher than 0.1% by weight, was included in PIC Annex I in 2022, entering into force on July 1, 2022. In 2023, it accounted for 98% of total exports (65,147,553 tons) and approximately 99% of total imports (65,739,206 tons).
- Reported quantities for exports of other PIC chemicals increased by 8% in 2023 compared to 2022, while imports decreased by 56%. The remaining top 6 chemicals imported and exported in 2023 are similar to the 2022 data.
Pesticide exports continued to decline for the second consecutive year. From 2022 to 2023, reported pesticide exports decreased by 10%. (From 192,674 tons to 173,451 tons). The decrease from 2021 to 2022 was 21%.
Use Rates of Other Harmful Chemicals According to European Union Member State Data
Exports – 532 companies from 23 EU countries provided data to the European Chemicals Agency – ECHA on exports of PIC chemicals from the EU in 2023. Four EU countries (Cyprus, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Malta) and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) declared that they did not export PIC chemicals.
Imports – 207 companies from 23 EU countries submitted data on imports of PIC chemicals into the EU in 2023. Four EU countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Malta) and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) have declared that they do not import PIC chemicals.
Article 10 of the PIC Regulation requires importers and exporters to provide information on the annual trade of chemicals listed in Annex I of the Regulation to their designated national authorities by March 31 of the following year. Each EU country must then submit the aggregated information to ECHA so that it can be summarized at EU level and non-confidential information can be made publicly available.
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