Overview

Import responses are the decisions provided by Parties indicating whether or not they will consent to import the chemicals listed in Annex III of the Convention and subject to the PIC procedure. All import responses submitted by Parties are published each June and December in the PIC Circular and are available in the database of import responses.

Article 10 of the Convention sets out the obligations of Parties with respect to the future import of chemicals listed in Annex III. Parties have an ongoing obligation to submit to the Secretariat, as soon as possible and in any event no later than nine months after the date of dispatch of a decision guidance document, their import decision (whether a final or interim response) concerning the future import of the chemical. Where a Party changes an import decision submitted previously to the Secretariat, the Designated National Authority (DNA) should submit a revised import response as soon as possible. 

The Secretariat has developed an import response form and instructions to facilitate the submission of import responses by Parties.

Import responses from non-Parties are no longer compiled by the Secretariat as of 24 February 2006 (Decision RC-1/13 A and B of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties). Import responses received prior to this date from non-Parties are available on this website under the section "Interim PIC Procedure Archive": Import responses from non-Parties received up to 24 February 2006.

Article 10
Obligations in relation to imports of chemicals listed in Annex III

1. Each Party shall implement appropriate legislative or administrative measures to ensure timely decisions with respect to the import of chemicals listed in Annex III.

2. Each Party shall transmit to the Secretariat, as soon as possible, and in any event no later than nine months after the date of dispatch of the decision guidance document referred to in paragraph 3 of Article 7, a response concerning the future import of the chemical concerned.  If a Party modifies this response, it shall forthwith submit the revised response to the Secretariat.

3. The Secretariat shall, at the expiration of the time period in paragraph 2, forthwith address to a Party that has not provided such a response, a written request to do so.  Should the Party be unable to provide a response, the Secretariat shall, where appropriate, help it to provide a response within the time period specified in the last sentence of paragraph 2 of Article 11.

4. A response under paragraph 2 shall consist of either:

(a) A final decision, pursuant to legislative or administrative measures:               

(i) To consent to import;               

(ii) Not to consent to import; or               

(iii) To consent to import only subject to specified conditions; or

(b) An interim response, which may include:               

(i) An interim decision consenting to import with or without specified conditions, or not consenting to import during the interim period;               

(ii) A statement that a final decision is under active consideration;               

(iii) A request to the Secretariat, or to the Party that notified the final regulatory action, for further information;               

(iv) A request to the Secretariat for assistance in evaluating the chemical.

5. A response under subparagraphs (a) or (b) of paragraph 4 shall relate to the category or categories specified for the chemical in Annex III.

6. A final decision should be accompanied by a description of any legislative or administrative measures upon which it is based.

7. Each Party shall, no later than the date of entry into force of this Convention for it, transmit to the Secretariat responses with respect to each chemical listed in Annex III.  A Party that has provided such responses under the Amended London Guidelines or the International Code of Conduct need not resubmit those responses.

8. Each Party shall make its responses under this Article available to those concerned within its jurisdiction, in accordance with its legislative or administrative measures.

9. A Party that, pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 4 above and paragraph 2 of Article 11, takes a decision not to consent to import of a chemical or to consent to its import only under specified conditions shall, if it has not already done so, simultaneously prohibit or make subject to the same conditions:

(a) Import of the chemical from any source; and

(b) Domestic production of the chemical for domestic use.             

10. Every six months the Secretariat shall inform all Parties of the responses it has received.  Such information shall include a description of the legislative or administrative measures on which the decisions have been based, where available.  The Secretariat shall, in addition, inform the Parties of any cases of failure to transmit a response.