Obligation for explosives backtracking by EU-Directives 2008/43/EG and 2012/4/EU
The EU-identification directive 2008/43/EG of the European Union and the addendum 2012/4/EU force every manufacturer, distributor and end user of civil explosives to document consistently their way through the whole supply chain. On this page we inform you about important backgrounds, obligations and give tips for implementation.
Background and Obligations of the Directives
As reaction onto various terror attacks in Europe, the EU decided a range of counter-terrorism actions, which
the identification directives are part of. Below you will find an overview over the main points of the EU-Directives 2008/43/EC and 2012/4/EU.
Goals of the EU-Directive
- identification and traceability of all explosives from the manufacturing location or the first bringing into
circulation inner EU up to the usage by the end user
- supporting the enforcement authorities at tracing of lost or stolen explosives and prevention of their
abuse
Deadlines of the EU-Directive
- obligation of the manufacturers and the importers to unique identification of explosives and their
smallest packaging units since 5 April 2013
- obligation to data collection and record of all explosives of all concerned companies starting 5 April 2015
- Goods without unique identification that have been produced or imported into the EU before 5th April
2013, do either have to be used or given back until 5th April 2015
Scope of application
The identification directives range over all explosives for civil uses.
Selected exceptions:
- explosives transported and delivered unpackaged or in pump trucks
- explosives manufactured at the blasting sites, and that are loaded immediately after being produced
(in situ production)
- ammunition
- very small articles
Detailed tips and information material can be found on our download-page.
Substantial challenges for users of explosives
The requirements of the identification directive confront affected companies with time, personnel and finances related liabilities, such as:
- Securing the unique identification of explosives in the EU by manufacturers and importers
- Guaranteeing a continuous and real-time collection of all required information
- Securing the traceability up to the particular explosive
- Providing 24/7 disclosure to respective authority
- Archiving data for a minimum period of 10 years
- Providing at an early stage all relevant data between supplier and recipient of goods all along the supply chain