Member states and MEPs clinched an informal deal on the EU's REACH chemicals safety bill on Thursday night (30 November) in a text that tries to steer a middle way between industry and environmental concerns but is likely to draw fire from pro-green pressure groups.
"[The work on] REACH is finished," British liberal MEP Chris Davies told EUobserver, saying that after two and half hours of talks last night, EU member states, the European Commission and the three biggest groups in the European Parliament - the conservatives, liberals and socialists - agreed a "take it or leave it package."
The European Parliament is now set to vote through the new document at its next plenary session in Strasbourg before an EU environment ministers' council on 18 December rubber stamps the deal on what will become REACH's official birthday almost exactly seven years after Brussels started work on the legislation.
REACH - which stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals - is set to impose from April 2007 fresh safety checks on 30,000 chemicals used in everyday household products from soap to toys in a regime to be administered by a new EU chemicals agency in Helsinki.
The final package will see the most dangerous chemicals - so-called persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances - refused authorisation if safer alternatives exist while makers of another 1,500 risky chemicals - such as hormone disruptors - will have to submit "substitution plans" and prove they operate with "adequate control."
-Ltd..jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Thermore (Far East) Ltd.")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
