Chemicals

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on possible EU measures to increase the transparency of nanomaterials on the European market.  The consultation is the first step of a Commission drafting procedure that is likely to end in a proposal for a Regulation on an EU Nano-Registry that the Commission could formally present by Spring 2015.

The Commission’s consultation aims at gathering the views of the public on the currently available information on nanomaterials on the market, whether the information available is sufficient to guarantee the safe use of nanomaterials and products containing them and informed consumer choice, and the different options to address any lack of information.  The consultation will contribute to the preparation of an impact assessment of a possible future Commission proposal.
Continue Reading The European Commission Launches a Public Consultation on a EU Nano-Registry

This post was originally published as a Covington E-Alert

Very recently, the General Court of the European Union held that European institutions and agencies (e.g., European Commission, ECHA, EFSA, EMA) must disclose to the public, upon their request, information on the impurities and composition of substances emitted into the environment even if this may affect the commercial interests and intellectual property rights of the companies that developed the products.

The Court ruled against a European Commission decision that denied two NGOs access to several documents relating to the approval of the active substance glyphosate in plant protection products.  The refusal was based on the need to protect the commercial interests of the manufacturers of the substance. The Court held that Regulation 1367/2006 on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community Institutions and Bodies (“Aarhus Regulation”) requires EU institutions and bodies to disclose information if it “relates to emissions into the environment” even if it can undermine the commercial interests of companies.  This applies to any information that “relates in a sufficiently direct manner to emissions into the environment.” The Court found that information concerning the identification and quantity of impurities contained in the substances meets that definition.
Continue Reading EU Court Requires EU Authorities to Disclose Information on Impurities and Composition of Substances Submitted by Companies

Article originally published in EuroWatch on August 15, 2011

The Council of the European Union has adopted a position at First Reading on a proposal for a Regulation on Biocidal Products that would impose new requirements on goods treated with biocidal products (“Council First Reading”).1 The new rules would apply to a wide variety of consumer goods, such as furniture and other wood products, packaging, electronic equipment, plastic materials, paper and tissue products, absorbent hygiene products, apparel, paints, and kitchen accessories, and are likely to have a significant impact on goods imported into the European Union or European Economic Area.

The Council First Reading would significantly change the EU regulatory framework for materials (i.e., articles, mixtures, and substances) treated with or incorporating biocidal products. On the one hand, the new rules would limit the scope of the strict requirements that apply to biocidal products to only those materials that have a primary biocidal purpose. On the other hand, however, they would also create a new category of rules for all materials that intentionally incorporate or have been treated with biocidal products (so-called “treated articles”) even if such materials do not have a primary biocidal purpose.
Continue Reading Upcoming EU Requirements on Goods Treated with Biocidal Substances

Originally published as Covington E-Alert in April 2011

THE REACH REGULATION AND SUBSTANCES OF VERY HIGH CONCERN

The European Union’s Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH Regulation”) requires the European Chemicals Agency (“ECHA”) to identify so-called Substances of Very High Concern (“SVHCs”) and to list them in…

Article originally published in the Food Packaging Bulletin, January 2010

As with virtually all goods manufactured in, or imported into, the European Economic AreaI, food packaging is subject to the stringent requirements of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (the so-called “REACH Regulation”)II. Indeed, while substances “used in…