Overview#
The Aarhus Protocol is the regional (UNECE) sibling of the Stockholm Convention for persistent organic pollutants, and the EU POP Regulation implements it too.
Don't confuse the two 'Aarhus' instruments
The Aarhus Protocol on POPs (1998, under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution) is about persistent organic pollutants. The Aarhus Convention is a different treaty entirely, covering public access to environmental information. This entry is about the former.
What it is#
- A 1998 protocol adopted in Aarhus, Denmark, under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP).
- It targets persistent organic pollutants in the UNECE region (Europe, North America, Central Asia), banning some outright and restricting others.
How it connects#
Global
The Stockholm Convention is the worldwide POPs treaty under UNEP.
Regional
The Aarhus Protocol is the UNECE-region POPs instrument under CLRTAP.
The EU POP Regulation 2019/1021 implements the obligations of both instruments in EU law.