Report pursuant to Article 18 of Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors, examining the possibilities to transfer relevant provisions on ammonium nitrate from Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006

Summary:

Report published by the European Commission in March 2015 on the findings of its assessment of the feasibility of transferring provisions from Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) to Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors (Regulation on Explosives Precursors).

Further information:

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical substance widely used as a fertiliser in the European Union. It can act as an oxidising agent and explodes when mixed with certain other chemicals. For this reason, ammonium nitrate fertilisers with a high nitrogen content are subject to technical requirements. Because of these properties, ammonium nitrate fertilisers have been misused for the illicit manufacture of explosives. To protect against such misuse, access by members of the general public to ammonium nitrate as a substance or in mixtures is restricted and controlled.

Provisions on ammonium nitrate existed in both Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and Regulation (EU) No 98/2013. REACH restricts the supply of ammonium nitrate as a substance to users and distributors licensed under Council Directive 93/15/EEC, farmers, and professional users. The Regulation on Explosives Precursors subjects the supply of ammonium nitrate to a mechanism for reporting suspicious transactions, and also enables Member States, via a safeguard clause, to put in place further restrictions if there are reasonable grounds for doing so.

• Primary Source