Safety reports produced by European companies running chemical works
and other hazardous plants will have to be made public in the future. At
present, under the European Community鈥檚 鈥楽eveso鈥� directive, such reports
are seen only by 鈥榗ompetent authorities鈥�.
The European Commission is updating the directive and is expected to
widen its scope to include storage sites as well as the processing plants
it covers now. This could add 40 per cent more to the number of sites covered.
Operators will have to carry out safety audits and inform neighbours about
risks.
The commission also wants member states to develop specific planning
policies to control the siting of hazardous plants.
Advertisement
