
Article 1 
The Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents is hereby approved on behalf of the Community subject to the reservations appearing in Annex I hereto.
The text of the Convention is attached to this Decision.
Article 2 
The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the persons empowered to deposit, on behal of the Community, the instrument of approval with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organisation, in accordance with Article 28 of the Convention. When depositing the instrument of approval and the reservations in Annex I, the said person(s) will deposit the declaration of competence appearing in Annex II hereto.
Article 3 
This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
Done at Brussels, 23 March 1998.
For the Council
The President
M. MEACHER
ANNEX I

The Member States of the European Community, in their mutual relations, will apply the Convention in accordance with the Community's internal rules.
The Community therefore reserves the right:

((i)) as concerns the threshold quantities mentioned in Annex I, Part I, Nos 3, 4 and 5 of the Convention, to apply threshold quantities of 100 tonnes for bromine (very toxic substance), 5 000 tonnes for methanol (toxic substance ) an 2 000 tonnes for oxygen (oxidising substance);
((ii)) as concerns the threshold quantities mentioned in Annex I, Part I, No 8 of the Convention, to apply threshold quantities of 500 tonnes (risk phrase R50-53: ‘substances very toxic to aquatic organisms which may cause long term adverse effects in the aquatic environment’) and 2 000 tonnes (risk phrase R51-53: ‘substances toxic to aquatic organisms which may cause long term adverse effects in the aquatic environment’) for substances dangerous for the environment.

ANNEX II

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Council Directive 82/501/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities which has been replaced by Council Directive 96/82/EC of 9 December 1996 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances.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.
