The identification of priority substances and priority hazardous substances targeted to the establishment of controls of emissions, discharges and losses into surface, transitional and coastal waters from land-based sources contributes to the objectives and the Community commitments under international conventions for the protection of marine waters, in particular to the implementation of the Strategy with regard to hazardous substances adopted at the 1998 OSPAR Ministerial Meeting under the Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic pursuant to Council Decision 98/249/EC.

The selection of priority substances and the identification of priority hazardous substances targeted to the establishment of controls of emissions, discharges and losses will contribute to the objectives and the Community commitments under international conventions for the protection of marine waters, in particular to the implementation of the Strategy with regard to hazardous substances adopted at the 1998 OSPAR Ministerial Meeting under the Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic pursuant to Council Decision 98/249/EC.

Of the 32 substances to which the priority classification has been assigned, the proposal lists eleven as priority hazardous substances, a further eleven as priority substances under review and the remaining ten as regular priority substances.

In this way the Environment Committee seeks to ensure that the Commission does not defer its decision as to whether these eleven substances are priority hazardous substances or only priority substances until the year 2004, when, under Article 16 of the water framework directive, the lists of priority substances are due for revision.

‘Priority substances’means substances identified in accordance with Article 16(2) and listed in Annex X. Among these substances there are ‘priority hazardous substances’ which means substances identified in accordance with Article 16(3) and (6) for which measures have to be taken in accordance with Article 16(1) and (8).

30". Priority substances" means substances identified in accordance with Article 16(2) and listed in Annex X. Among these substances there are "priority hazardous substances" which means substances identified in accordance with Article 16(3) and (6) for which measures have to be taken in accordance with Article 16(1) and (8).