FoE Europe -

The EU is proposing new chemicals legislation and this is currently under debate in the European Parliament and Council. Known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), the legislation will provide for safety information on around 30,000 chemicals and should make consumer and professional products safer to use. Many toxic chemicals are currently in use, and contribute to a wide range of diseases such as cancers, allergies and reproductive dysfunction.

As part of FoE Europe's contribution to the debate, we held a workshop attended by 50 participants and NGOs from 20 countries in order to introduce them to REACH and the environmentalists' positions. Please find below the programme of the seminar and the presentations of the speakers.

On the 19 th January, participants then attended the Parliamentary hearing on REACH.

Our thanks go to the German Environment Ministry who kindly funded this work.

Programme

Day 1: Monday, January 17

Session 1 - The REACH primer Chair: Mary Taylor, FoEE
"State of play of REACH in the Council and perspectives under the Luxembourg Presidency" Dr André Weidenhaupt, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg President of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Chemicals - REACH "An ABC of REACH" Sidsel Dyekjar , Chemical Policy Adviser, Danish Ecocouncil "The potential of REACH and challenges for NGOs" Stefan Scheuer , Policy Director, European Environmental Bureau " Some of the myths of REACH" Sidsel Dyekjar , Chemical Policy Adviser, Danish Ecocouncil
Session 2 - Some of the detail and key points Chair: Anja Leetz, Chemical Reaction
"Prioritisation of chemicals - what is at stake" Mecki Naschke , EU Policy Officer - Chemical and Industry Policies, European Environmental Bureau (presentation not available yet) "The right to know - information for consumers" Mary Taylor , Safer Chemicals Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Europe "WWF's bio-monitoring work" Elizabeth Salter-Green, Head of Toxics programme, WWF-UK (presentation not available yet) "Substances in articles and importation issues" Mecki Naschke , EU Policy Officer - Chemical and Industry Policies, European Environmental Bureau

Day 2: Tuesday, January 18

Session 3 - Some key players in the REACH debate
Chair: Daniela Rosche, WECF

"REACH and the European Parliament"
Axel Singhofen , Adviser on Health and Environment Policy,
Greens/EFA in the European Parliament

"The Chemical Reaction website and MEPs"
Anja Leetz , Co-ordinator of the Chemical Reaction project (European Environmental Bureau, Friends of the Earth Europe and Greenpeace)

"A Trade Union perspective on REACH"
Tony Musu , Technical Bureau for Health and Safety
TUTB - European Trade Union

"Debates among Member States - Discussion in the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Council and the German government position"
Petra Rülke , German Ministry for Environment
(waiting for agreement to make this presentation public)

Session 4 - More key lobbying points
Chair:

"New ideas from industry for the new EU Chemical Agency: REACH prioritisation in two months"
Hanny Nover, Nordrhein-Westphalia, Germany, Ministry for Environment, Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection

"Data requirements for chemicals and the animal testing issue"
Ninja Reinecke , Marine Pollution Prevention and Chemicals Policy , WWF Germany

"Substitution of hazardous chemicals - a key battle"
Iza Kruszewska, Toxics Campaigner, Greenpeace International

This seminar has been made possible by a grant from the
German Environment Ministry, to whom we are very grateful

Press release


	17.01.05 UNICE in bid to wreck REACH

Photos


	Toxic Teddy with the participants

Joint Public Hearing "The new REACH legislation"


	The European Parliament website

	The Luxembourg Presidency website (includes speeches)

Links on chemicals campaigns


	Chemical Reaction

	Friends of the Earth "Safer chemicals" in UK

	Greenpeace "Chemicals out of control"

	WWF "detox"