EU lawmakers, govts strike deal on chemicals bill
Source: Reuters
(adds quotes, background) By Jeff Mason BRUSSELS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers and governments struck a deal on Thursday over a wide-ranging draft law on toxic chemicals, putting it on track to enter force in the first half of 2007. The provisional agreement still needs final approval from EU states and parliamentarians, but those steps were seen as a formality after weeks of talks that stalled on Monday in a near break-down that activists blamed on manoeuvring by Germany, home to chemicals giants BASF <BASF.DE> and Bayer <BAYG.DE>. The bill, known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), was designed to make companies prove that substances in every-day products like cars, clothes or paint are safe. "REACH is done," said Chris Davies, a member of the Liberal Democrat party and one of the negotiators. He said he expected EU member states and political groups in parliament to sign up to the deal in the coming weeks. "It's a take it or leave it, and no one's going to leave it," he said. EU ambassadors are scheduled to meet next week, and a vote in the parliament is set for mid-December. "We think it's good for the consumers, for the environment and for the industry," said Finnish Ambassador Nina Vaskunlahti, one of the negotiators, whose country holds the EU presidency. Under REACH, the properties of roughly 30,000 chemicals produced or imported into the European Union would have to be registered with a central agency. Those of highest concern, such as carcinogens, would require testing and authorisation. The chemicals industry and the U.S. government have attacked the legislation as imposing a costly extra burden on business. STRUGGLE OVER SUBSTITUTION Lawmakers and member states have been discussing the bill for weeks. In October, the parliament's environment committee voted in favour of an amendment that would deny approval for dangerous chemicals if suitable alternatives exist. That conflicted with the version supported by EU governments, which would authorise some toxic chemicals if companies prove they could be adequately controlled. The two sides bridged their differences on Thursday. British lawmaker Davies said the deal would require persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals be removed from the market if suitable alternatives existed. Manufacturers would also have to submit a "substitution plan" when seeking authorisation for the roughly 1,500 chemicals expected to be considered of high concern. But if they can be adequately controlled, the substances will be approved. Environmentalists said the agreement weakened the bill. "The deal will allow many chemicals of very high concern, including many that cause cancer, birth defects and other serious illnesses, to stay on the market and be used in consumer products even when safer alternatives are available," said Justin Wilkes, programme officer at environmental group WWF. Industry has argued that mandatory substitution could lead to a ban on substances that have socio-economic benefits. The deal delays by six months the first deadline under which companies will have to register the properties of substances. It also increases confidentiality measures for firms. If a deal had not been struck before the December parliament vote, talks could have stretched far into 2007, delaying the draft law's entry into force. "It's supposed to come into force in April, and we wouldn't have finished conciliation by April, so it couldn't have possibly come into force then," Davies said.
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