Artikel 9

1. This Article concerns controlling and, where feasible, reducing releases of mercury and mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, to land and water from the relevant point sources not addressed in other provisions of this Convention.
2. For the purposes of this Article:
a) “Releases” means releases of mercury or mercury compounds to land or water;
b) “Relevant source” means any significant anthropogenic point source of release as identified by a Party that is not addressed in other provisions of this Convention;
c) “New source” means any relevant source, the construction or substantial modification of which is commenced at least one year after the date of entry into force of this Convention for the Party concerned;
d) “Substantial modification” means modification of a relevant source that results in a significant increase in releases, excluding any change in releases resulting from by-product recovery. It shall be a matter for the Party to decide whether a modification is substantial or not;
e) “Existing source” means any relevant source that is not a new source;
f) “Release limit value” means a limit on the concentration or mass of mercury or mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, released from a point source.
3. Each Party shall, no later than three years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it and on a regular basis thereafter, identify the relevant point source categories.
4. A Party with relevant sources shall take measures to control releases and may prepare a national plan setting out the measures to be taken to control releases and its expected targets, goals and outcomes. Any plan shall be submitted to the Conference of the Parties within four years of the date of entry into force of the Convention for that Party. If a Party develops an implementation plan in accordance with Article 20, the Party may include in it the plan prepared pursuant to this paragraph.
5. The measures shall include one or more of the following, as appropriate:
a) Release limit values to control and, where feasible, reduce releases from relevant sources;
b) The use of best available techniques and best environmental practices to control releases from relevant sources;
c) A multi-pollutant control strategy that would deliver co-benefits for control of mercury releases;
d) Alternative measures to reduce releases from relevant sources.
6. Each Party shall establish, as soon as practicable and no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it, and maintain thereafter, an inventory of releases from relevant sources.
7. The Conference of the Parties shall, as soon as practicable, adopt guidance on:
a) Best available techniques and on best environmental practices, taking into account any difference between new and existing sources and the need to minimize cross-media effects;
b) The methodology for preparing inventories of releases.
8. Each Party shall include information on its implementation of this Article in its reports submitted pursuant to Article 21, in particular information concerning the measures it has taken in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 6 and the effectiveness of the measures.