Fireworks seizures decrease

A total of 2,107kg of explosives and fireworks were seized in 2012 through 271 checks ordered by the Federal Public Service for Economy, reports La Dernière Heure. The figures have been declining in recent years due to strict European regulations. “We are seeing the first effects of the implementation of a European directive regulating the sale of pyrotechnics articles bearing an official CE label,” says the spokesman for the FPS Economy, Chantal De Pauw. Thanks to informative, preventive and repressive campaigns, the sector seems to be more cautious and law-abiding. The closure of the largest storage site used by the main Belgian importer – ordered because of safety infringements – has also had an influence on the number of devices on the market. The 2012 figure is down from 5,500kg in 2011 and 15,000kg in 2010.