The European Commission's ozone layer protection team has won the Ozone Protection Award 2016 of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Ozone Network for Europe and Central Asia.
The award is an acknowledgement of the team's strong commitment to fighting illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The team is part of the Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action.
The Ozone Protection Award aims at providing incentives and recognition to customs and enforcement officers who succeed in preventing illegal trade in ODS and related equipment.
This year’s other winners are Bosnia & Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
In the period from May 2014 to April 2016, the award winners reported seizures of more than 68 metric tonnes of ozone-depleting chemicals and mixtures. A further 174 metric tonnes of illegal ODS have also been avoided by the so-called Informal Prior Informed Consent (iPIC) which allows consultation amongst officers before trade licenses are issued.
Illegal trade remains a serious challenge. Fighting it is crucial if the global phase-out of ODS agreed under the Montreal Protocol is to achieve the hoped-for recovery of the ozone layer.
The team has also won the award in 2014, 2012 and 2010.
Background
By 2010, the EU reduced its consumption of the main uses of ODS to zero. However, certain uses of these substances are still allowed. Their imports and exports require a license. The Commission is responsible for issuing these licenses in the European Union.
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Details
- Publication date
- 25 May 2016
- Author
- Directorate-General for Climate Action