The 1998 Rotterdam Convention was established in order to monitor and control the trade in certain hazardous chemicals. The Convention was meant as an instrument that could provide importing parties with the power to make informed decisions on which chemicals they want to receive and to exclude those that cannot be safely managed. A process termed prior informed consent (PIC) is regulated under the Convention. This involves a mutual information exchange of all issues regarding the trade of hazardous chemicals (including POPs). The Rotterdam Convention entered into force in 2004.