31.7.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 209/1 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 14 October 2004 concerning the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2006/507 EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 175(1), in conjunction with the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 300(2), and the first subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (?), Whereas: 1 The promotion of measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems is one of the objectives of the Community’s policy on the environment, in accordance with Article 174 of the Treaty. In 1998 the Council authorised the Commission to participate, on behalf of the Community, in the negotia- tions on a Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme. The Commission participated in those nego- tiations together with the Member States. The Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (Conven- tion) was adopted in Stockholm on 22 May 2001. The Convention provides a framework, based on the precautionary principle, for elimination of production, use, import and export of the initial 12 priority Persistent () OJ C 87 E, 7.4.2004, p. 495. () 0] C 32, 5.2.2004, p. 45. Organic Pollutants, their safe handling and disposal and elimination or reduction of releases of certain unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants. In addition, the Convention lays down the rules for the listing of new chemicals in the Convention. The Community, the then 15 Member States and eight of the new Member States, signed the Convention during a Conference of Plenipotentiaries held in Stockholm from 22 to 23 May 2001. The Convention is open to ratification, acceptance or approval by States and by regional economic integration organisations. Under the terms of the Convention, a regional economic integration organisation must declare in its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession the extent of its competence in respect of the matters governed by the Convention. The Community has already adopted instruments covering matters governed by the Convention, including Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 of the European Parliament and Council of 29 April 2004 on persistent organic pollutants and amending Directive 79/117[EEC (°), Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 of the European Parliament and Council of 28 January 2003 concerning the export and import of dangerous chemicals (*) and Council Directive 96/59/EC of 16 September 1996 on the disposal of polychlorinated biphennyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCB/PCT) (°). OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p. 7. OJ L 63, 6.3.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 7772006 (O] L 136, 24.5.2006, p. 3). OJ L 243, 24.9.1996, p. 31.