Spanish verification unit takes part in inspections to check the correct use of chemicals

•  A team from the UN Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has carried out a reconnaissance of two industrial facilities

The National Accompaniment Team, formed by the Spanish Verification Unit and the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, received three inspectors from the UN Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), with whom they carried out inspections of several facilities.

The first inspection took place at the “Bluesun Consumer Brands SLU” chemical plant in Mataró, which produces detergents and cleaning products. The inspectors then travelled to Barcelona to inspect CAILÀ&PARÉS S.A., a company that manufactures oleo chemical products. It is worth noting the full cooperation of the managers of the industrial facilities, that was crucial to the accomplishment of the OPCW mission.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is a United Nations agency based in The Hague (Netherlands). Spain became a member in 1993, and this led to the creation of the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a body attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and belonging to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, whose mission is to support the fulfilment of the obligations assumed by Spain when it acceded to this Convention.

The Convention declares a list of chemicals that are susceptible to misuse, but also have an industrial application and are therefore licit for use. The OPCW conducts regular inspections of industrial and chemical complexes handling such compounds in countries that are signatories to the Convention to verify that they are being used correctly and not diverted for non-industrial purposes.

This is another example of cooperation between the Ministry of Defence, through the Spanish Verification Unit, and the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the context of verification. The Spanish Verification Unit provides the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons with its expertise in this field, working both with the personnel of the chemical company where the inspection is carried out and with the OPCW inspectors. It also ensures that there is no leakage of sensitive information from the company concerned during the inspection.