A critical perspective on the implementation of the EU Council Seveso Directives in France, Germany, Italy and Spain

From 1982-2012, an important legislation, known as Seveso Directives I-II-III and amendments, was adopted in the European Union to regulate and prevent major industrial accident hazards. This European legislation was transposed, applied and implemented in each European Member State and after nearly forty years it is worthwhile to look back and also to look forward to key issues relevant to actual Seveso implementation. Authors of this paper are all members (retired or active) of the Loss Prevention Working Party of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, which started in 1971. This article examines and compares, for the four EU Member States France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the structures and practices for the implementing of the European rules. Difficulties, variations in application and the quality of enforcement of this complex process are critically discussed, including proper analysis of worked examples. Finally, a particular attention is paid to the different ways in which the control and inspection practices of each of the Member States concerned are implemented. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article reviews the development and implementation process of Seveso Directives I-II-III, and compares and discusses the implementation structures and practices of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, the four EU Member States. Difficulties and variations in application during the implementation process are critically analyzed and discussed, with particular attention paid to the different ways in which control and inspection practices are implemented by each Member State.