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Environment Committee meets with French and Austrian chemical authorities on REACH

21 Nov 2017

AmCham EU’s Environment Committee finished its yearly delegation trips to the Member States chemical authorities with visits to the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainability and the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.

While the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation and its various components were the primary topic of discussion, other aspects of the EU’s chemical policies were also touched upon. The meetings were marked by open discussions and an in-depth exchange of experiences on REACH. Common to the two meetings were discussions on the Risk-Management-Option-Analysis (RMOA). Here, both ministries recognised its value and were receptive to the concerns of industry, primarily the lack of harmonization across the member states.

Apart from REACH, the French representatives were interested in discussing Brexit and the implication it will have on the EU’s chemical policy. The Austrians expanded the discussion to include Circular Economy, the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) recast and the interface between waste and chemicals.

Both meetings were an overall success. The Environment Committee was able to establish new or deepen existing relationships with Member States, while bringing industry experiences, concerns and recommendations directly to the competent national chemical authorities.