World trade controls: Export Control Handbook for Chemicals

The JRC’s Export Control Handbook for Chemicals and the online dataset provide quick guidance for exporters and customs officers involved in the export and distribution of chemicals.

Several EU instruments regulate the export of chemicals. These include the EU Dual-Use Regulation, the Common Military List of the European Union and the Regulation on the marketing and use of explosives precursors.

Under these legislative instruments, many chemicals used daily in industrial processes or by persons are subject to export controls, because they can also be used to create explosives, nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, and thus present a potential threat to global security.

The JRC’s Export Control Handbook for Chemicals enables exporters and customs officers to verify rapidly which chemicals require an export authorisation and to check exported products’ compliance with the EU export control legislation.

The handbook lists all controlled chemicals by their name, EU reference codes, CAS number, and CN codes used for customs declarations, and indicates the EU Regulation under which they are controlled.

The Handbook was published in report format in 2019. A second version will be published in 2021.

The underlying dataset is now also available in the JRC Data Catalogue. It enables national customs offices to make use of digital applications and to identify more efficiently possible violations of the EU export legislation.

Related Content

Export Control Handbook for Chemicals

Export Control Handbook for Chemicals (2021 edition)

Dual-use trade controls