EU Softens Chemicals Bill, Alarms Green Groups
BRUSSELS - The European Commission has softened plans for new environmental
rules on chemicals which industry and big EU governments have slammed as costly
and unworkable, a leaked draft document showed yesterday. Green groups said the
Commission, the European Union\'s executive arm, had weakened a preliminary
proposal it published in May, endangering the effectiveness of what they say is
the most crucial environmental issue facing EU lawmakers. \"They (industry and
skeptical governments including the United States) got 90 percent of what they
wanted,\" Stefan Scheuer of the European Environmental Bureau told a news
conference. The campaigners, which included WWF, Friends of the Earth and
European consumers\' association BEUC, said the bill to control hazardous
chemicals now had \"loopholes\" that would allow firms to skirt around some of
the main requirements. \"The new text would allow industry to continue using
chemicals that accumulate in breast milk, reduce fertility and cause
allergies,\" said Greenpeace\'s Jorgo Iwasaki Riss. BALANCED BILL The Commission
made the changes to its initial draft after receiving more than 6,000 comments
from firms, governments, campaign groups and individuals since May. Interested
parties were invited to comment on the workability of the draft. Commission
spokesman Per Haugaard said the new version, agreed by the commissioners for
environment and industry, Margot Wallstrom and Erkki Liikanen, was \"well
balanced,\" with some changes aimed at reducing the cost of the new system. The
Commission is due to formally issue the bill by the end of this month and it
could be amended in the mean time. The bill would establish a system called
Reach (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) under which all
chemicals produced in quantities of more than one ton per year would have to be
registered or be banned. Substances of particular concern, such as those that
cause cancer, damage genes or affect fertility, or ones that persist and
accumulate in the environment would be subject to a deeper evaluation and in
some cases have to acquire a special permit to be used. Some 30,000 substances
would have to be registered, at a cost estimated by the Commission at two
billion euros ($2.3 billion) over a decade. The EU\'s 385 billion chemicals
sector said the bill would damage its global competitiveness and called for big
changes. Last week, the leaders of the EU\'s three biggest countries, Germany,
France and Britain, backed that view in a letter to the Commission demanding
\"substantial changes\" to the bill which they accused of being bureaucratic,
complex and unworkable. EU governments share legislative powers with the
European Parliament on the bill and can amend or even throw it out. Green groups
said they were concerned by four main changes to the text: - reduced data
requirements for the registration of chemicals produced in quantities of between
one and 10 tonnes per year - anonymity for firms registering substances -
hazardous substances can receive authorizations for use if their harmful
properties are \"adequately controlled\" - no requirements for substances
contained within imported articles (such as textiles or toys) unless those
chemicals are \"intended to be released.\" Story by Robin Pomeroy REUTERS NEWS
SERVICE
BRUSSELS - The European Commission has softened plans for new environmental rules on chemicals which industry and big EU governments have slammed as costly and unworkable, a leaked draft document showed yesterday.
Green groups said the Commission, the European Union\'s executive arm, had weakened a preliminary proposal it published in May, endangering the effectiveness of what they say is the most crucial environmental issue facing EU lawmakers.
\"They (industry and skeptical governments including the United States) got 90 percent of what they wanted,\" Stefan Scheuer of the European Environmental Bureau told a news conference.
The campaigners, which included WWF, Friends of the Earth and European consumers\' association BEUC, said the bill to control hazardous chemicals now had \"loopholes\" that would allow firms to skirt around some of the main requirements.
\"The new text would allow industry to continue using chemicals that accumulate in breast milk, reduce fertility and cause allergies,\" said Greenpeace\'s Jorgo Iwasaki Riss.
BALANCED BILL
The Commission made the changes to its initial draft after receiving more than 6,000 comments from firms, governments, campaign groups and individuals since May. Interested parties were invited to comment on the workability of the draft.
Commission spokesman Per Haugaard said the new version, agreed by the commissioners for environment and industry, Margot Wallstrom and Erkki Liikanen, was \"well balanced,\" with some changes aimed at reducing the cost of the new system.
The Commission is due to formally issue the bill by the end of this month and it could be amended in the mean time. The bill would establish a system called Reach (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) under which all chemicals produced in quantities of more than one ton per year would have to be registered or be banned.
Substances of particular concern, such as those that cause cancer, damage genes or affect fertility, or ones that persist and accumulate in the environment would be subject to a deeper evaluation and in some cases have to acquire a special permit to be used.
Some 30,000 substances would have to be registered, at a cost estimated by the Commission at two billion euros ($2.3 billion) over a decade.
The EU\'s 385 billion chemicals sector said the bill would damage its global competitiveness and called for big changes.
Last week, the leaders of the EU\'s three biggest countries, Germany, France and Britain, backed that view in a letter to the Commission demanding \"substantial changes\" to the bill which they accused of being bureaucratic, complex and unworkable.
EU governments share legislative powers with the European Parliament on the bill and can amend or even throw it out.
Green groups said they were concerned by four main changes to the text:
- reduced data requirements for the registration of chemicals produced in quantities of between one and 10 tonnes per year
- anonymity for firms registering substances
- hazardous substances can receive authorizations for use if their harmful properties are \"adequately controlled\"
- no requirements for substances contained within imported articles (such as textiles or toys) unless those chemicals are \"intended to be released.\"
Story by Robin Pomeroy
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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