‘Competitiveness’ key to EU chemicals debate

Environmental groups and industry lobbyists are both claiming the ‘competitiveness’ high ground, ahead of a crunch REACH chemicals meeting this week.

EU competitive ministers will meet on Tuesday in Brussels to agree a deal on the controversial chemicals legislation, dubbed the ‘most complex piece of legislation in EU history’.

REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals and has been a key battleground between industry and environmentalists over the last five years.

Original European Commission proposals aimed at forcing industry to register and test around 30,000 of the 100,000 chemicals used throughout the EU have been drastically watered down by intensive industrial and political lobbying.

Germany, which has the EU’s largest chemicals industry, has relentlessly pursued a policy aimed at reducing REACH’s scope.

On Tuesday, national ministers have to decide whether to broadly accept proposals put forward by the European Parliament in November.

The MEPs proposals reduced the legislation’s effectiveness in the ‘Registration’ phase, but backed tough rules limiting the time dangerous chemicals can be ‘authorised’ and on introducing mandatory substitution.

The German government under new Chancellor Angela Merkel may still push for further concessions on Tuesday, especially on substitution, in the hope of making the rules more “business friendly.”

But environmental groups are bombarding ministers with new statistics showing that inadequate REACH rules on toxic chemicals could have a long term detrimental effect on EU competitiveness.

Revealing a new study on chemicals residues in breast milk on Monday, Friends of the Earth Europe called on ministers to tighten up the rules on registration and approve the parliament’s proposals on authorisation.

“This provision is essential to end the build up of harmful chemicals in our bodies, and the environment” said the group’s chemicals campaigner, Aleksandra Kordecka.

“Moreover, making the substitution principle mandatory will boost European competitiveness in the medium and long term.”

The UK presidency is also eager to bag a deal on Tuesday which would help to boost its perceived lacklustre performance at the EU’s helm.

The UK presidency position paper on REACH is broadly in line with the agreement backed by MEPs.

“We now think it will be possible to reach a deal,” said a UK spokeswoman earlier this month.

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