MEPs back controversial deal on EU chemicals

MEPs have backed ambitious plans to introduce tough new rules on regulating chemicals.

The European Parliament’s environment committee agreed a deal on the EU’s REACH chemicals legislation, orchestrated by Italian rapporteur Guido Sacconi, after a marathon voting session on Tuesday.

The committee’s members voted on over 1500 amendments to the legislation backing controversial plans to force chemicals companies to provide detailed data on the chemicals they produce.

A key sticking point in reaching an agreement had been the scope of REACH, and on whether data requirements for chemicals should be based on risk or quantity manufactured.

MEPs backed proposals to water down the testing requirements for chemicals produced in the one to ten tonne ranges, but withstood strong industry lobbying to leave in place strong testing measures and data requirements for chemicals produced in the ten to 100 tonnes range.

Parliament’s industry and internal market committees had last month backed a more risk based approach to testing, arguing that reducing requirements would alleviate much of the burden of REACH on Europe’s industry.

The deal also included tough new measures to force chemicals manufacturers to substitute potentially harmful substances, and introducing five year reviews of the authorisation of potentially dangerous substances.

Pro-industry MEPs called the deal unworkable, bureaucratic and warned that millions of jobs could be at risk.

“With help of the liberals, the green and socialists got a majority for the introduction of a complex system of testing chemical products,” said centre right Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten.

“In this system all substances of chemical products must undergo profound tests.  In our view this will cause a lot of unjustified red tape.”

Oomen-Ruijten warned that the parliament’s centre right EPP-ED group would re table key amendments when the legislation comes before a full parliament vote in Strasbourg in November.

That plenary session is likely to become a bruising battleground between environmental and industry interests on the scope of REACH.

But Green, Liberal and Socialist MEPS claimed the result as a victory.

“Today’s vote strikes a balance between the need to simplify the REACH proposals and reduce their costs to industry while ensuring that we are also able to identify the chemicals of real concern to human health and the environment,” said ALDE group chemicals spokesman Chris Davies.

“We have turned a corner now on REACH,” said Swedish Green MEP Carl Schlyter, adding “finally it is going in the right direction again.”

Sacconi, said he was pleased with the broad support for his compromise package, which closely mirrors a recent UK presidency option tabled on REACH.

“I’m going to be celebrating tonight,” he told reporters at a press conference after the vote.

But the Italian warned that the complexity of the legislation and the polarised position of many MEPs would ensure that building a consensus for his compromise text ahead of the November vote would be a difficult task.

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