homologación de los Planes Especiales del Sector Químico (Basic guidelines for creating and approving special plans for the chemical sector). As over 130 major accidents occurred in Europe during the implementation of the aforementioned directive, the European Commission established in 1996 a new legislation (Directive 96/82/EC), known as SEVESO II. This new directive was implemented in
Spain by RD 1254/1999 and RD 1196/2003, which included new guidelines: Directriz básica de protección civil para el control y la planificación ante el riesgo de accidentes graves que intervienen sustancias peligrosas (Basic civil protection guidelines for control and planning of the risk of major accidents involving hazardous substances). RD 1254/1999 was subsequently amended by RD 119/2005 to improve the transposition of the SEVESO II Directive to Spanish legislation on major accidents. In the same year, this decree was amended by RD 948/2005 to include some of the changes proposed in Directive 2003/105/EC (the updated SEVESO II).