Directive 2012/18/EU

Directive 2012/18/EU or Seveso III Directive (full title: Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directive 96/82/EC Text with EEA relevance) is a European Union directive aimed at controlling major chemical accident hazards. Seveso III is implemented in national legislation and is enforced by national chemical safety authorities.

Seveso III replaces the previous Seveso I (Directive 82/501/EC) and Seveso II (Directive 96/82/EC) directives, updating the laws due to for example changes in chemical classification regulations. Seveso III gets its name from the Seveso disaster, which occurred in 1976 in Italy. Seveso III establishes minimum quantity thresholds for reporting and safety permits. There are two lists: one names individual substances, and another designates hazard categories for those substances not named separately. Documents required based on hazard and quantity are notification, Major Accident Prevention Policy (MAPP) and Seveso Safety Report.