Slow start to the UN mercury conference
Negotiations for a global treaty on mercury got off to a sluggish start when the UN's historic conference opened in Stockholm on Monday. There is an ongoing internal struggle within the EU, which has led to a marked limitation in the Union's ability to negotiate in Stockholm. The Commission and member governments have not been able to agree on who should represent the EU in the negotiations.
Andreas Carlgren
However, disagreements within the EU are not expected to have a decisive effect on the chances of reaching a global agreement. This is the beginning of the process - the negotiation meeting in Stockholm is the first of five meetings on the road to a binding agreement for the use and emissions of mercury. The goal is that the agreement should be in place by 2013.
Swedish Environment Minister, Andreas Carlgren, and Deputy Director of UNEP, Angela Cropper, stressed in their opening speeches the importance of the world agreeing on binding regulations for mercury.
"It is not just laboratory results that show that mercury is harmful - we have seen the direct consequences on human health for a long time," stressed Cropper.
The Nordic countries and the Nordic Council of Ministers have played a leading role in the international mercury process, a fact which was underlined several times by the Swedish Environment Minister. The Nordic countries, Sweden in particular through its ban on mercury, have come a long way by banning or restricting the use and emissions of mercury.
The Mercury Conference, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, brings together hundreds of decision makers and experts, as well as representatives from NGOs from around the world in Stockholm, 7 -11 June.
