The EU Council has adopted legislation banning all exports of mercury from the European Union. The export ban is key to the EU's strategy for reducing the supply of mercury worldwide. The legislation requires mercury that is no longer used in the chlor-alkali industry and certain other industrial operations, to be put into safe storage once the export ban takes effect in March 2011.

The EU has been the world's largest exporter of mercury, even though it stopped all forms of mercury mining in 2001. Responsible for up to a quarter of the global mercury supply, the EU legislation will take thousands of tonnes of mercury out of circulation.

Euro Chlor, a federation representing the European chlor-alkali manufacturing industry which is the major user of mercury, has made a voluntary commitment to ensure safe storage and compliance with all with the EU legislation.

While use of mercury is declining, some significant uses remain, primarily in in small-scale gold mining, the chlor-alkali industry and production of vinyl-chloride monomer, the basis of PVC plastic. In the EU , usage of mercury has been steadily declining, with only the chlor-alkali industry in the EU remaining a significant user, and it is progressively phasing out the use of mercury.

No details have been available on the potential impact the new legislation may have on industries in importing countries.