Regulation on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The objective of this Regulation is to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants by prohibiting, phasing out as soon as possible, or restricting the production, placing on the market and use of substances subject to the Stockholm Convention or Basel Convention and by minimizing, with a view to eliminating where feasible as soon as possible, releases of such substances, and by establishing provisions regarding waste consisting of, containing or contaminated by any of these substances. Turkey shall establish appropriate programmes and mechanisms for the regular provision of comparable monitoring data on the substances identified in Annex III in the environment. Furthermore, the Ministry shall facilitate and undertake the exchange with the relevant institutions and the third countries of information relevant to the reduction, minimization or elimination, where feasible, of the production, use and release of persistent organic pollutants and to alternatives to those substances, specifying the risks and the economic and social costs related to such alternatives. Turkey shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the provisions of this Regulation in accordance with the Environment Law No. 2872 and Law No. 5996 on veterinary services, plant health, food and feed and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented.