As of February 1, 2021, Regulation 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of precursor chemicals for explosives has come into force. This regulation governs sales restrictions and introduces new obligations in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.

The regulation defines two classes of precursor chemicals to which requirements apply.

Restricted Precursor Chemicals

Precursor chemicals considered so hazardous that:

• Firstly, they must not be made available to consumers above a certain concentration, and the sale to end-users is prohibited.

• Secondly, their sale may be subject to certain documentation and reporting obligations.

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Restricted precursor chemicals include:

• Nitric acid (CAS No. 7697-37-2)

• Hydrogen peroxide (CAS No. 7722-84-1)

• Sulfuric acid (CAS No. 7664-93-9)

• Nitromethane (CAS No. 75-52-5)

• Ammonium nitrate (CAS No. 6484-52-2)

• Potassium chlorate (CAS No. 3811-04-9)

• Potassium perchlorate (CAS No. 7778-74-7)

• Sodium chlorate (CAS No. 7775-09-9)

• Sodium perchlorate (CAS No. 7601-89-0)

Reportable precursor chemicals

Reportable precursor chemicals, whose sale to consumers is not generally prohibited but may trigger certain documentation and reporting obligations under certain circumstances.

Reportable precursor chemicals include:

• Hexamine (CAS No. 100-97-0)

• Acetone (CAS No. 67-64-1)

• Potassium nitrate (CAS No. 7757-79-1)

• Sodium nitrate (CAS No. 7631-99-4)

• Calcium nitrate (CAS No. 10124-37-5)

• Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAS No. 15245-12-2)

• Magnesium, powder (CAS No. 7439-95-4)

• Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate (CAS No. 13446-18-9)

• Aluminum, powder (CAS No. 7429-90-5)

Legal background

Eurolex

Regulation 2019/1148 Article 1

Subject matter

This Regulation establishes uniform rules for the provision, movement, possession, and use of substances or mixtures that could be abused for the illicit manufacture of explosives. Furthermore, this regulation aims to restrict the availability of these substances and mixtures to the general public and ensure appropriate reporting of suspicious transactions throughout the supply chain.

This regulation does not affect stricter provisions of Union law concerning the substances listed in Annexes I and II.

Regulation 2019/1148 Article 7

Supply Chain Notification

(1) Any economic operator providing a restricted precursor for explosives to another economic operator shall inform them that the acquisition, movement, possession, or use of the respective restricted precursor for explosives by members of the general public is subject to restrictions under Article 5, paragraphs 1 and 3.

Every economic operator providing a regulated precursor for explosives to another economic operator shall inform them that the acquisition, movement, possession, or use of the respective regulated precursor for explosives by members of the general public is subject to reporting obligations under Article 9.

(2) Every economic operator providing regulated precursors for explosives to a professional user or a member of the general public must ensure and be able to demonstrate to the national inspection authorities referred to in Article 11 that their employees engaged in the sale of these substances:

a) are aware of which of the provided products contain regulated precursors for explosives,

b) have been informed of their duties under Articles 5 to 9.

(3) Every online marketplace shall take measures to ensure that users, when providing regulated precursors for explosives through its services, are informed about their obligations arising from this regulation."

Obligations for Producers, Importers and Traders

The regulation defines obligations for all economic operators, including producers, importers, and traders (B2B and B2C). Depending on the class, the following obligations apply:

Specific obligations for the provision of restricted precursors (Class 1) in B2C and B2B trade:

1. Prohibition of provision to consumers for substances and (previously commercially available) mixtures

2. Testing, storage, and notification obligations in B2B trade

   1. Testing obligations

   2. Storage obligations

   3. Notification obligations

Additional obligations for the provision of all regulated substances (Class 2) in B2C and B2B trade

1. Sonstige regulierte Stoffe und deren Vorkommen in handelsüblichen Produkten

2. Meldepflichten über verdächtige Transaktionen in B2C- und B2B-Geschäften

   1. Indicators of suspicion

   2. Content of the report

   3. Deadline

3. Reporting obligations for theft and loss

4. Notification and training obligations

   1. Provisions in the supply chain

   2. Provisions to commercial end-users or consumers

Transfer in the DQR 7.0

The information is provided for products subject to the Explosives Regulation.

The representation of information is done in the product attributes within the attribute system 'Regulations' (code 'Regulations') and the attribute class 'Explosives Regulation.'

In the attribute description, the CAS number can be specified.

Example of Explosives Regulation in the attributes:

AttributeValue2' and 'Attribute Unit' must not be specified.