Seveso III Directive: what the European framework offers African governments

Regulatory watch. This article presents a public text and its relevance for our clients. It does not replace the official text.

The text

Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012, known as “Seveso III”, regulates establishments where dangerous substances are present above defined thresholds. It replaces the 1996 Seveso II Directive and takes its name from the Seveso accident (Italy, 1976). It has applied in the European Union since 1 June 2015.

The obligations it organises

• Classification of establishments into two tiers, “lower tier” and “upper tier”, according to the quantities of dangerous substances present.
• Major-accident prevention policy, formalised by the operator and implemented through a safety management system.
• Safety report for upper-tier establishments, demonstrating the identification of accident scenarios and the adequacy of control measures.
• Internal emergency plans drawn up by the operator and external emergency plans drawn up by the authorities, tested and reviewed at regular intervals.
• Land-use planning around establishments, so as not to expose new populations.
• Public information and access to safety data.
• Inspections planned by the competent authority, with minimum frequencies according to the tier.

Why this text matters in Central and West Africa

Several states in the region have an environmental code and a classified installation regime, but rarely a complete system covering the whole chain: safety report, external emergency plans, land-use planning, inspection. The Seveso III Directive offers a proven architecture that can be adapted to the local industrial base without being transposed word for word.

This is the spirit in which BECP Conseil supports administrations: start from the facilities actually present in the country, set realistic thresholds, and give inspectors the tools to enforce the rules.

Source: Directive 2012/18/EU, Official Journal of the European Union, L 197 of 24 July 2012 (available on EUR-Lex).