EU industry chief’s enterprise credentials challenged

MEPs are unlikely to vote on controversial EU chemicals legislation until the end of 2005, the European Parliament’s environment committee chief has said in an interview.

The newly appointed committee chairman Karl-Heinz Florenz must pilot complex and divisive REACH proposals to register, authorise and evaluate up to 30,000 chemicals over 11 years.

Florenz must oversee the work of parliament’s largest legislative committee – with 63 MEPs – with heated debates in 20 languages over the cost of REACH to industry and the risk of chemicals to public health.

“REACH is one of the biggest issues we've ever had in the house. I like pressure, but... in this field, pressure is wrong,” he told Environment Daily on Thursday.

“Don't forget, in the Commission there are 40 or 50 people working on this dossier. And in the parliament there are maybe five.”

The German MEP is unsure about Günter Verheugen’s role in a new look José Manuel Barroso EU executive this November.

As a high-powered European Commission vice-president Verhuegen will be overseeing Brussels work on environment, internal market and competition issues in a bid to boost EU economic growth.

REACH and its impact on European chemical industry competitiveness will a be a critical test of Verhuegen’s new role.

And Florenz is not sure whether his German compatriot has enough business experience to do the job properly.

“He's a nice guy and I support him. But he's the wrong man in the wrong place,” the German MEP told ENDS. “He has no knowledge of that area. He has never earned his money on the market.”

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