EU to start project to clean up pesticides former Soviet Republics

The EU has decided to start a project - "Improving capacities to eliminate and prevent recurrence of obsolete pesticides as a model for tackling unused hazardous chemicals in the former Soviet Union" - to support the former Soviet Republics in cleaning up the old pesticide storage places. The budget of 7 million Euros is intended to eliminate implementation issues in the entire operation, which will cost at least 700 million. Three members of the European Parliament, Danish Dan Jorgensen, Dutch CDA politicians Ria Oomen and Esther de Lange, have promised to follow this project and the required actions and to further stimulate it.

This is the main outcome of the 11th Forum about HCH and Obsolete Pesticides, which was held by the the IHPA in Gabala, Azerbaijan this year from the 7th to the 9th of September.

During the opening session, the Azerbaijani Minister of Environment, Huseyn Bagirov, also indicated that his country wants to completely clean up the pesticides from the Soviet era in 8 to 10 years. Azerbaijan wants to take a leading position in the Caucasus and Central Asia with this clean-up action.

All this is partially the result of the work that the IHPA, the International HCH & Pesticides Association has accomplished. IHPA has been organizing a conference about the problems of obsolete pesticides every two years since 1992. Over 120 participants from more than 40 countries took part in this conference again this time. IHPA president, Bram de Borst, B Sc. commented: "It is remarkable that the willingness to share experiences between countries has been increasing and that the solution of this world-wide problem has now been accelerated."

During the past three years, more than 100 people in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asian regions have been getting trained with the help of IHPA in localizing obsolete pesticide storage places, civilian participation and repackaging of these substances. IHPA is also permanently working on putting pressure on international donor organizations and politicians to engage them in the pesticide problem.