Industry scores with MEPs in chemicals votes

By Anna McLauchlin

Date: 15/09/05

The EU chemical industry is claiming victory in the first two of three European Parliament reports on the proposal for chemicals legislation, REACH.

MEPs voted almost unanimously in a committee on Tuesday (13 September) in favour of a risk-based approach to registering substances.

Deputies in the internal market committee backed a compromise presented by German Christian Democrat Hartmut Nassauer that would extend the risk-based assessment of any chemicals produced or imported in the EU in volumes of 10-100 tonnes.

This would require companies to give basic information on the potential risk of a chemical and then more information depending on the risk. Environmental and health campaigners, who had been pushing for the Commission's original proposal to demand in-depth information on all chemicals, condemned the vote.

Nassauer said that the risk-based approach was gaining acceptance and stressed that a change in the German government could strengthen this position in the Council of Ministers.

MEPs also backed a report by Swedish Liberal Lena Ek in the industry committee, which would make chemicals companies responsible for informing their supply chain about their chemicals under a 'duty of care' principle.

Ek criticised the German chemical industry's lobbying and called on the environment committee, which will vote on 4-5 October on a final report drafted by Italian Socialist Guido Sacconi, to reject the risk-based approach.

A plenary vote is expected on 25 October or 15 November, following which competitiveness ministers will try to reach a political agreement on 29 November.

Votes in the European Parliament Industry Committee and Internal Committee, September 2005 on the REACH proposal have pleased the EU chemicals industry. The Environment Committee will vote on the proposal in October 2005.