Press Release: Improved traceability of explosives in EU

As one of a series of measures to help combat terrorism, on 4 April, 2008, the Commission adopted measures to strengthen the control of explosives for civil use, for instance in the mining industry. To prevent theft and to ensure that any thefts or losses are quickly detected, the new Regulation required unique labelling of explosives throughout the EU. In addition, manufacturers, traders and users will be required to tighten recordkeeping and stock management. This will make it easier to trace the origin of lost or stolen explosives and to quickly establish whether persons holding explosives are doing so legally and what the itinerary of the explosives has been.