Est. 1min 24-05-2002 (updated: 07-11-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram At a conference on the business impact of the new chemical policy, Commissioners Wallström and Liikanen rejected industry’s claims that it would harm business. On 21 May, the Commission organised a conference for the chemicals industry to discuss the business impact of the new chemicals policy, and specifically REACH. The main points highlighted by Environment Commissioner Wallström and Enterprise Commissioner Liikanen were: The public’s confidence in the chemicals industry must be restored: To achieve that, the burden of proof needs to be reversed, so that people can have trust in the chemicals released on the market. The REACH system will not put excessive costs on industry: a recent study by the Commission estimates that REACH will cost between euros 1.4bn and euros 7bn over ten years, most likely euros 3.6bn. SMEs and innovative activities will not be endangered: The proposal suggests that substances produced below 1 tonne per year will be exempt from the registration procedure. Read more with Euractiv Who will head the EU's foreign policy?According to reports in the German press, an internal power struggle is taking place in the Commission over who will represent the EU in external relations in the future. While Mr Prodi and Commissioner Barnier want the Commission to take a leading role in foreign, defence and economic policy, Mr Patten, the Commissioner for External Relations, would fiercely oppose this idea. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsThe chemicals industry maintains that REACH will be too costly and harm competitiveness. On 23 April, the chemicals industry organisationCeficpresented its "Thought Starter" programme, which aims to outline an alternative way to implement the REACH system. According to Cefic, the advantages of Thought Starter are: it is a more cost-efficient and effective method to implement REACH; it encourages companies to develop links with co-producers and users to facilitate access to information; it urges competent authorities to develop databases of appropriate contact points with producer and user companies. The WWFwelcomes a thorough revision of the EU chemical policy. It strongly opposes the industry's Thought Starter, claiming that it does not implement REACH. It says that the Thought Starter aims to reverse the burden of proof away from industry and to put the main responsibility on authorities. The REACH system should ensure that industry shows why a substance should not be forbidden, which would not be the case in Cefic's proposal. BackgroundThe White Paper on EU chemicals policy (published on 13 February 2001) aims to revise the current legislation on chemicals by introducing a single coherent system for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemical substances, the so called REACH system. The new system which would be introduced over a period of 11 years, should provide a high level of protection for human health and the environment. TimelineThe Commission is expected to issue legislative proposals on EU chemical policy this summer.
