EU Statement - 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP 6) - Opening statement

6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP 6)

November 3 2025

Opening statement

Mister President of the sixth Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention, Madam Executive Secretary, Distinguished Delegates, 

I have the honor of addressing the sixth Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States. 

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the President of the Conference of the Parties, the Bureau, the Executive Secretary and the Secretariat for their work to organize this meeting. We also thank Switzerland, our generous host country, for the warm welcome and hospitality.

The Minamata Convention stands as a testament to the power of multilateral cooperation in addressing a global challenge that knows no borders. It represents a powerful instrument in our collective efforts to prevent and reduce mercury pollution, which continue to pose significant risk to human health and the environment. We reaffirm that protecting human health and the environment is not just a duty but a shared responsibility. It is a collective commitment that must transcend political boundaries and national interests.

With that in mind we remain hopeful that we at this Conference of the parties again can make significant progress and take steps to further implement and develop the Convention. This includes strengthening the trade provisions by initiating a process to include mercury compounds under the export provisions established by the Convention and to phase out the use of mercury in the production of vinyl chloride monomers, as technically and economically feasible alternatives are available. 

Over the course of previous Conferences of the Parties, we have engaged in constructive discussions regarding dental amalgam and we hope to make further progress on this important issue. In the European Union, we have followed a stepwise approach toward the elimination of dental amalgam—beginning with its prohibition for use in pregnant women and children, and has now been extended to a ban covering the general population, with exemptions only for specific medical uses. 

We recall the importance of the gender action plan and hope also to take steps to further strengthen the synergies among the Multilateral Environmental Agreements, including with the global Biodiversity Framework and the BRS Conventions and also welcome the establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution in this regard. In conclusion, we wish to reiterate our commitment to ensuring a successful outcome for this sixth Conference of the Parties. We are here to work collectively and constructively with the aim of translate our discussions into action in the effort to protecting human health and the environment

Thank you, Mister President.