Urge Commissioners to Heed Negative Vote of EU “Competitiveness Council”

ARLINGTON, VA. (October 2003) – American chemical makers today applauded the EU Competitiveness Council’s overwhelming rejection of the most recent draft of a European Union proposal to regulate chemicals.
Calling the EU proposal fatally flawed, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) echoed the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in affirming the industry’s support for the principles of the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) proposal. But both ACC and Cefic called for “major changes” to make it work. The current draft, presently under review within the European Commission, is scheduled to be submitted to the College of Commissioners at the end of October.
The EU Competitiveness Council, made up of the industry ministers from each member country, recently rebuffed REACH drafters by voting 14 to 1 against the proposal. The ministers objected to the serious negative impact the proposal would have on the competitiveness of chemical, consumer products and other vital industries throughout Europe.
“We fully support the view of our European counterparts and the industry ministers,” said American Chemistry Council President and CEO Greg Lebedev. “Simply said, the current REACH proposal is unworkable. It will create a confusing, wasteful and inefficient bureaucracy that will not meet the program’s objectives. In July we urged the Commission to adopt a
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practical approach. Unfortunately, the Commission chose to ignore the overwhelmingly majority of comments submitted during the recent internet consultation, including the comments of governments around the world.”
Cefic concurred and in a press conference today in Brussels pointed out that its view is consistent with the position taken a letter signed by Germany’s Chancellor Schroeder, France’s Premier Chirac and the UK’s Prime Minister Blair in which they request “a full evaluation of the concrete effects on the economy and a fast, simple and cost-efficient procedure.” (Cefic’s comments can be found at http://www.cefic.be)
Among other ACC objections (see previous news releases at http://www.accnewsmedia.com), Lebedev noted that the proposal continues to create a significant risk that REACH could run afoul of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, particularly in the treatment of finished goods made with chemicals.
“The proposal’s authors have said they want REACH to be a major European export,” said Lebedev. “But it’s clear that the EU proposal is not yet ready for continental consumption, let alone export around the world. The wiser choice would be to conduct the evaluation requested by Germany, France and the UK that would consider different options and give broader consideration to other areas of EU policy.”

http://www.accnewsmedia.com

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $460 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is the nation’s largest exporter, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies invest more in research and development than any other business sector. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation’s critical infrastructure.