REACH: D-Day for chemicals overhaul 

On Wednesday 29 October, the Commission is set to endorse the final legislative proposals on chemicals worked out by DG Environment and DG Enterprise, despite heavy lobbying from the chemicals industry.

Since the adoption in February 2001 of the White Paper on a Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy, the Commission's ideas to overhaul the rules on registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemical substances (REACH) has been the subject of one of the fiercest lobbying debates in EU history. Industry and NGOs have fought hard to get their messages heard and to have their demands included in the final proposal. For industry, the REACH proposals have become a measure of the EU's seriousness with regard to its overarching Lisbon goal of becoming the most dynamic and competitive knowledge society in the world by 2010. The NGOs have considered the chemicals review as the ultimate test of the EU's commitment to sustainable development.

In the latest phase of the lobbying battle, the chemicals industry has urged the Commission to postpone its proposals and undertake an independent extensive impact assessment. The industry fears that REACH will have dramatic consequences for the competitiveness of the chemicals sector in Europe and could lead to big job losses.

Environmental pressure groups have criticised the Commission's latest proposals as being seriously weakened due to the lobbying efforts from industry. They will be looking to the European Parliament and the Member States governments to "redress the balance" and strengthen the Commission's proposals.