The European Commission and European Chemical Agency (ECHA) launched a new Action Plan to make sure that REACH (the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) registration dossiers are compliant with EU legal requirements.

On 3 December 2019 the European Commission adopted the revision of several Annexes of REACH, clarifying the registration requirements with regard to nanomaterials. The new rules are applicable as from 1st January 2020. The modifications and the new requirements help closing the knowledge gap on which nanomaterials are placed on the market and in which quantities. They clarify for the registrants how to provide information on their basic characteristics and use, how to handle them safely, what risks they potentially pose to health and the environment and how these risks can be adequately controlled. 

According to the European Green Deal Investment Plan,the legal framework will need to be "simplified and strengthened" to ensure a better protection for citizens and for the environment against hazardous chemicals and encourage the development of alternatives. This action consist of a coherent approach to the production and use of chemicals, in particular the Zero-Pollution Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy, the “Farm to Fork Strategy” and the New Circular Economy Action Plan.

As part of her zero-pollution ambition, Ursula von der Leyen announced her plans for a comprehensive strategy to protect citizens from hazardous chemicals. To ensure effective protection, this strategy must be based on the precautionary principle and address four specific sources of hazard: nanomaterials, endocrine disruptors, combination effects and the reduction of exposure to chemicals in products.

Chemical pollution deserves a long-term vision and concrete action plan with ambitious timelines to effectively and urgently reduce the exposure of people and environment to toxic chemicals. The European Green Deal looks like the ideal opportunity to set coherent and ambitious long-term targets, and has to be the first steps of a series of concrete actions.

For information on EU policy developments and on how B2EU could support your organisation in developing your public affairs strategy in view of the new European Green Deal objectives, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: info@b2eu-consulting.com.