By Anne-France White - 1st December 2006
MEPs and EU governments have struck a deal on the EU’s new chemicals law after weeks of negotiations.
The Reach chemicals regulation – the wide-ranging EU law on toxic chemicals – will now be voted on by parliament on December 13, putting it on track to come into force in 2007.
The new law will impose safety checks on 30,000 chemicals used in everyday products, to be administered by a new EU chemicals agency in Helsinki.
The bill has seen tough opposition from the EU’s €586bn a year chemicals industry and from Germany, which is home to a quarter of that industry.
In the final compromise, the 1500 most dangerous chemicals will be refused authorisation if safer alternatives exist.
But in a concession to the chemicals industry, some of the substances will be approved if producers show that they can be adequately controlled.
Industry had argued that mandatory substitution could lead to a ban on substances that have socio-economic benefits.
The European commission applauded the deal on December 1, describing it as a “marked improvement over the previous common position”.
But environmentalists immediately criticised the agreement, arguing that it had weakened the rules.
“The EP has finally sold out to the intense lobbying of the German chemical industry and agreed a compromise with the council which will seriously limit the potential benefits of Reach in terms of protecting EU citizens and the environment from toxic chemicals,” fumed green MEP Carl Schlyter.
Critics, including consumer lobby Beuc, argue that the rules will allow dangerous chemicals including carcinogenics to be put in consumer products even when safer substances exist.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.