With fewer than eight weeks to go to the opening of the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador, Brazil, on May 4, 2015, the second of the CIBJO commissions' Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Precious Metals Commission, headed by Stella Layton, the report focuses on a variety of subjects, including pending conflict mineral legislation in the European Union, nickel regulation, platinum fineness standards and the classification of certain chemicals used in the industry.

Noting that the European Union is a trying to avoid the pitfalls of the conflict mineral legislation in the United States, for which there is a growing body of evidence that it has resulted in the closure of legitimate mines in Africa's Great Lakes region, Ms. Layton wrote: "The European Commission and Parliament are co-legislators and the decision could still go either way. CIBJO members need to remain active in this debate."

Concerning platinum fineness, Ms. Layton reported that since the CIBJO Congress in 2014, the ISO Standard for Fineness of Precious Metals Alloys has been updated, and now includes a 600 standard for platinum. "While different nations may elect to recognise different standards, they can all refer back to one international standard and appropriate test procedure, which is fundamental to CIBJO's vision of global consistency and transparency," she wrote.

The 2015 CIBJO Congress will take place in Salvador, Brazil, May 4-6, 2015, with pre-congress meetings on May 2 and May 3 The congress will be hosted by IntInstituto Brasileiro de Gemas e Metais Preciosos (IBGM), the Brazilian Gems & Jewellery Trade Association.

The official venue and hotel for the CIBJO Congress 2015 is the Sheraton da Bahia, a member of the Starwoods Group, which is located in downtown Salvador.