Environment, Europe, Headlines

ENVIRONMENT: Campaigners Prepare to Battle over Chemicals

Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, Jan 17 2005 (IPS) - European environmental groups are preparing to challenge business groups this week over new EU proposals that aim to cut out dangerous chemicals.

Scientists, environmentalists, small businesses and manufacturers will voice their concerns – and their differences – over proposed new European Union (EU) REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals) legislation at a public hearing in the European Parliament Wednesday (Jan. 19).

REACH is an integrated programme for production, import and use of chemicals within the EU. Chemicals that might be banned under REACH can cover a wide range from musks and perfumes to household products, flame retardants in furniture and plastic softeners used in toys.

The public health, environment and internal market committees of the European Parliament are scrutinising the legislation, which has pitted industry against environment groups.

Campaigners say the new provision for safety information on chemicals is necessary because of growing concerns over a rise in cancers, birth defects and other illnesses that exposure to chemicals is believed to cause.

Manufacturers argue that such measures would be a "bureaucratic nightmare" and would cost jobs.

The European Commission, the EU executive, had published a final draft of its REACH regulation in October 2003 after a five-year debate. Under the proposals some 30,000 substances would have to be registered with a new Helsinki-based EU chemicals agency which would administer the new system.

Chemicals which were approved years ago would be subject to more modern and stringent testing. Those that do not pass the tests will be banned.

The legislation could have a major impact on thousands of companies that make chemicals or use them in their products. It would apply to goods imported into the EU as well as those manufactured in the EU.

The commission says the new proposals will protect human health and the environment, maintain and enhance the competitiveness of the EU chemical industry, and increase transparency.

The EU executive has faced strong opposition from the chemicals industry, which puts the cost of implementing the new legislation at some 13.5 billion dollars over a11-year implementation period rather than the 6.5 billion dollars estimated by the commission.

Smaller manufacturers are particularly concerned about the cost of the proposals. The European Association of Chemical Distributors says up to half chemical substances in use would be lost because companies could not afford to test them.

The employers federation UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers Confederation of Europe) says European business supports the objectives of protecting human health and the environment while preserving the global competitiveness of European industry. But it says a "redesign" of some key REACH rules is needed to make it "manageable for producers and users of chemicals."

REACH will affect not only chemical companies but also downstream users of chemicals and producers of all kinds of inorganic materials such as metals, cement, wood fibre and glass.

The employers groups says the evaluation of substances should be based on risk-priority setting rather than volume. It also insists that data-sharing must remain voluntary for companies and that the scope of REACH be limited to "genuine chemicals" by excluding raw materials and waste.

"Industry is not against the REACH objectives but with UNICE’s recommendations we can make it cost-efficient and more workable," UNICE secretary-general Philippe de Buck said Monday (Jan. 17). "This is vital to preserve small and medium enterprises and competitiveness." But many green campaigners are hailing the plans as the most important EU environmental legislation for a decade. The environmental agency WWF says it "strongly supports" the legislation.

"We see it as a once in a generation opportunity for safer chemicals," Julian Scola, spokesperson for the EU office of WWF told IPS. "WWF believes that toxic chemicals pose a threat to people and wildlife and that there is an urgent need to identify and phase out the most harmful chemicals – which REACH could achieve, particularly if it is strengthened in some key areas." REACH has been subject to "more impact assessments than any other piece of European legislation in history," Scola said. "We do not accept that industry cannot afford to identify and phase out the worst chemicals; on the contrary WWF believes that humanity cannot afford not to do so – the current regulatory situation is like an uncontrolled experiment on all the inhabitants of our planet – both human and animal."

Supporters of the REACH programme will build up their campaign in support of the legislation in the run-up to Wednesday’s hearing.. It will call for the phasing out of a number of chemicals in everyday products, and for either a ban on others or better control over them.

WWF members and women from British women’s groups will descend on the parliament Tuesday in a double-decker bus carrying hazardous chemicals.

The REACH bill requires approval by a majority of EU governments, and by the European Parliament to.