Use of lead in natural environments and its environmental impact

EN E-000831/2019 Answer given by Mr Vella on behalf of the European Commission (7.4.2019) The Commission has just completed its assessment of the Member States’ 2015 River Basin Management Plans, and will take action as appropriate to ensure that measures are implemented to meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. Member States are obliged to meet the EU-level environmental quality standard for lead in surface waters; to consider setting a standard for lead in groundwaters; to progressively reduce the emissions of lead to the water environment; and to monitor their achievement of these objectives. The Habitats Directive does not include the fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a species of EU conservation concern. Therefore, its management is a matter of national competence. More generally, national authorities have a duty to ensure that hunting is compatible with this Directive. If appropriately planned and implemented, sustainable hunting can be a tool to protect ecosystems. In a restriction dossier on the use of lead shot in wetlands, the European Chemicals Agency assessed the alternatives to lead and concluded that lead-free gunshot cartridges (such as steel ones) are suitable for all types of shooting in wetlands and are widely available in the EU.