REACH climax near

Date: 08/12/05

EU industry ministers will try to hammer out a political agreement on chemicals legislation REACH on Tuesday (13 December), with authorisation still the key sticking point.

Pro-industry countries Germany, Ireland and the Czech Republic are pitched against Denmark, France, Sweden and Belgium.

The latter are backing a draft adopted by MEPs in November, which decided that companies should always substitute their chemicals for safer alternatives where possible.

Preview of an extraordinary Competitiveness Council meeting, 13 December 2005, where Industry ministers were expected to reach an agreement on the proposed legislation the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH).

European Commission: PreLex: COM(2003) 644, Proposals ... concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (Reach) ..., 29.10.03 http://ec.europa.eu/prelex/detail_dossier.cfm?CL=en&ReqId=0&DocType=COM&DocYear=2003&DocNum=644

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