By Daisy Ayliffe - 13th December 2006
The European parliament has put years of wrangling behind it and backed a deal on Reach chemicals legislation.
In the final vote on Wednesday, MEPs backed the compromise proposal tabled by Italian rapporteur Guido Sacconi.
529 MEPs backed the proposal, 98 voted against and 24 abstained.
Parliament has hailed the legislation as the world's most ambitious law on public health and environmental protection.
“This vote, on one of the most complex texts in the history of the EU, sets up an essential piece of legislation to protect public health and the environment from the risks of chemical substances, without threatening European competitiveness,” parliament president Josep Borrell declared.
“It offers EU citizens true protection against the multitude of toxic substances in everyday life in Europe.”
Parliamentary endorsement paves the way for a far-reaching new regulatory system to make producers and importers of chemicals prove that the substances they put on the market in the EU are safe for consumers.
Around 30,000 chemicals will fall under the scope of the legislation that is set to come into force in June next year.
And a newly-established agency in Finland will oversee the way the firms assess
But Greens and GUE/NGL MEPs have attacked the parliament’s “weak” compromise, saying the EU has “failed its citizens”.
“What appears to be an adequate legislative package is actually full of loopholes,” said GUE/NGL Swedish MEP Jens Holm.
“Among other things, carcinogenic substances can continue to be used, without any time limit and despite the fact that safer alternatives exist.”
The GUE/NGL group, together with the Greens, put forward an alternative Reach plan that called for more stringent requirements on the substitution of dangerous chemicals.
They also wanted to see tougher demands on industry to provide information on the chemicals they produce.
The European consumers heralded the decision as a “step forward”, but said the most difficult task had only just begun.
“The challenge now is to take what has been agreed, to make sure that the new regime works in practice while continuing to press strongly for a wider approach based on our total exposure to chemical emissions from all sources,” the European Consumers' Organisation said in a statement.
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