POPs regulation

The Republic of Belarus has made considerable efforts to develop a legislative and institutional capacity to regulate POPs management in fulfillment of the country's obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
In the Republic of Belarus, the regulatory framework in the field of safe use of chemicals, including persistent organic pollutants, is governed by the following international treaties:

  • Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, ratified by Edict of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the BSSR on May 14, 1980;
  • Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, endorsed by Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 541 of September 16, 1999;
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (hereinafter referred to as the Stockholm Convention), acceded by Belarus in accordance with Presidential Edict No. 594 of December 26, 2003.

CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION

Date and place of adoption: 13.11.79, Geneva
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: 14.11.79
Ratified by the Republic of Belarus: 14.05.80
Entered into force initially: 16.03.83
Entered into force for the Republic of Belarus: 16.03.83
Official website: www.unece.org/env/lrtap/


PROTOCOL TO THE 1979 CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION ON LONG-TERM FINANCING OF THE CO-OPERATIVE PROGRAMME FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE LONG-RANGE TRANSMISSION OF AIR POLLUTANTS IN EUROPE (EMEP)
Date and place of adoption: 28.09.84, Geneva
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: 28.09.84
Ratified by the Republic of Belarus: 06.08.85
Entered into force initially: 28.01.88
Entered into force for the Republic of Belarus: 28.01.88
Official website: www.unece.org/env/lrtap/


PROTOCOL CONCERNING THE CONTROL OF EMISSIONS OF NITROGEN OXIDES OR THEIR TRANSBOUNDARY FLUXES TO CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION
Date and place of adoption: 31.10.88, Sofia
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: 01.11.88
Ratified by the Republic of Belarus: 24.05.89
Entered into force initially: 14.02.91
Entered into force for the Republic of Belarus: 14.02.91
Official website: www.unece.org/env/lrtap/


1985 HELSINKI PROTOCOL TO CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION ON THE REDUCTION OF SULPHUR EMISSIONS OR THEIR TRANSBOUNDARY FLUXES BY AT LEAST 30 PER CENT 
Date and place of adoption: 08.07.85, Helsinki
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: 08.07.85
Ratified by the Republic of Belarus: 18.08.86
Entered into force initially: 02.09.87
Entered into force for the Republic of Belarus: 02.09.87
Official website: www.unece.org/env/lrtap/


BASEL CONVENTION ON THE CONTROL OF TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENTS OF HAZARDOUS WASTES AND THEIR DISPOSAL

Date and place of adoption: 22.03.89, Basel
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: no
Ratified by the Republic of Belarus: 16.09.99, Presidential Decree No. 541
Entered into force for the Republic of Belarus: 09.03.2000
Official website: www.basel.int


STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPs)

Date and place of adoption: 23 May 2001, Stockholm
Signed by the Republic of Belarus: yes
In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of 26 December 2003 No. 594, the Republic of Belarus joined the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Official website: www.pops.int


The following laws and codes comprise the legal framework of the public policy in the field of management of hazardous chemicals including persistent organic pollutants:

  • Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Environmental Protection"
  • Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being of the Population"
  • Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Protection of the Atmospheric Air"
  • Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Waste Management"
  • Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses
  • Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus
  • Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus
  • Tax Code of the Republic of Belarus

In accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection is a national public authority with a special mandate in the field of environmental protection and POPs management.

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