Date of release : 03-05-2005

Policy area : Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research) Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research)

Event : Luxembourg Presidency REACH Workshop

The REACH proposal under Luxembourg Presidency

Following the White Paper setting out the strategy for a future Community Policy for Chemicals, the Commission adopted a proposal for a new EU regulatory framework for 30’000 new and existing chemical substances. The new system called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) aims at improving the protection of human health and the environment while maintaining the competitiveness and enhancing the innovative capability of EU industry. At the European Parliament, nine Committees are currently analysing in parallel the REACH proposal and its first reading with plenary voting is expected to take place in autumn 2005. The Luxembourg Presidency Workshop on REACH is a key element of the Luxembourg Presidency programme on REACH, which constitutes one of the Presidency’s priorities both on the competitiveness and the environment agenda.

Objective of the workshop

The Luxembourg Presidency Workshop on REACH associates decision makers from the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. In addition, other stakeholder representatives participating in the high level group established under the memorandum of understanding between the European Commission, industry and the European Economic and Social Committee were invited to participate in the workshop. The workshop’s objective is to facilitate inter-institutional discussions on further work, on impact assessment of REACH recently presented to the high level group and on complementary or alternative proposals of Member States that aim at improving the efficiency and workability of key REACH processes.

Programme

The first day of the Workshop will focus on results from the further work on impact assessment currently undertaken in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission (Directorate General Enterprise and Directorate General Environment) and industry (UNICE/CEFIC). Thus the Workshop will allow for a presentation of the KPMG industry consortium study dealing with the supply chain of the automotive, inorganics, flexible packaging and electronics sectors, the Institute of Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) study on the impact of REACH on the New Member States and Directorate General Enterprise’s study on the Impact of REACH on the textiles industry. Download study summaries.

The morning of the second day will be partly dedicated to short progress reports by the 3 rapporteurs from the three competent committees of the European Parliament (Guido Sacconi from the Environment-Committee, Lena Ek from the Industry Committee and Hartmut Nassauer from the Internal market Committee). They will present their work, with a particular emphasis on improving workability and/or reducing the burden on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as optimizing the balance between costs and benefits of the REACH proposal.

Within the scope of the work of the Council Ad Hoc Working Party on REACH, some Member States have prepared complementary or alternative proposals that aim to improve the efficiency and workability of key REACH processes. As a follow-up to the conclusions of the Workshop held under the Netherlands Presidency, these Member States are given the opportunity to present and discuss the merits of their proposals during the second day of the Luxembourg Presidency Workshop. Particular emphasis shall be laid on aspects that are likely to improve the workability of REACH for SMEs.

The afternoon session will allow for drawing conclusions that will be drafted as a Presidency note and be submitted for political debate at the Competitiveness, 6 June 2005, and Environment Council, 24 June 2005, respectively.

The Minister for Economics and Foreign Trade, Jeannot Krecké, the Minister for Environment, Lucien Lux, and the REACH coordinator of the Luxembourg Presidency, Dr. André Weidenhaupt, invite to a press conference on 12 May 2005 at 9.30 a.m. at the Ministry for Economy, 6, boulevard Royal, Luxembourg, in the conference room on the ground floor where they will present the conclusions of the workshop (in French).