Deirdre Clune
Question:193 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason Ireland has not signed or ratified Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Protocol, 1991; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16638/99]
Written Answers. - Environmental Policy.
Accession to the 1991 UN Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes is contingent on the implementation of a number of EU directives in relation to volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
A new draft protocol, a draft protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground Level Ozone is expected to set a national ceiling on emissions of, inter alia, VOCs. This is under negotiation at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) at present and is expected to be open for signature in Goteborg, Sweden later this year. Ireland is participating actively in the negotiations, and the signature of the new protocol, including possible legislative requirements, will be considered on completion of the negotiations.