...India may not be able to put its drugs and other products on European shelves after 2013 if Indian companies don't comply with EU animal testing guidelines for such products . . .Once the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals legislation, comes into force, placing products on European shelves will become tougher still, he warned. The common law is designed to make firms prove that the thousands of chemicals they use in products - from cars to clothes - are safe.... more...

... The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF), an organization of the bromine chemical industry, wants to clarify that the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation doesn't refer to specific chemicals or families of chemicals but instead sets up a mechanism by which European Union regulators decide after reviewing scientific data whether any substance should be approved or restricted for certain uses.... more...

...After six years of political negotiation, and a lot of compromise, a new regulatory system for chemicals is being introduced. Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) is Europe's biggest-ever single piece of legislation and is due to come into force on June 1. Its impact is set to be biblical.... more...

...The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation (EC 1907/2006) will come into force on 1 June 2007. Notably, as a Regulation and not a Directive, REACH will not require national transposing legislation to be implemented and will have direct effect from June. REACH will affect manufacturers, importers and downstream users of chemicals.... more...

...Most companies have RoHS compliance behind them. That's good, because the lessons learned from RoHS will be useful in complying with a far more detailed and extensive piece of green legislation coming this year. Read on for a REACH checklist and timeline for compliance.... more...

...Chinese chemical enterprises should prepare for a new EU regulation on imports of chemicals as soon as possible, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Chinese enterprises should start technical preparation for the EU legislation, known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals), to ensure continued passage of China's exports of chemical products to the European Union, said Zhang Xiangchen, director of the ministry's department of WTO affairs.... more...

...The European Union on Monday signed into law far-reaching rules governing the multibillion-euro (dollar) chemicals industry, saying the legislation will promote the health and safety of its citizens.... more...

...The implications of the recent European Parliament approval of the REACH programme has gone trans-Atlantic, with US cosmetics manufacturers attending a special workshop to quash worries regarding the affect it will have on their industry.... more...

... The convergence of global markets could signal the end of market-specific laws relating to the substances used in products, with manufacturers the world over keeping one eye on EU standards. EU directives regulating the presence of chemicals in major product categories have had significant extraterritorial effect, including in the US.... more...

...The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued positive scientific opinions on another batch of 10 packaging substances, part of an EU-wide effort to prevent the chemicals from contaminating foods.... more...

...Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country holds the EU presidency, signed the bill - known as REACH, for Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals -- into law at the European Parliament. Vanhanen said the law, which still needs to be written into national lawbooks, was "a big step forward, compared to what we have today, which dates back 40 years."... more...

...In 2003, the European Commission put forward a comprehensive plan to reform chemicals policy in Europe under the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) legislation. The regulatory regime aims to provide a harmonized approach to chemicals regulation across all European Union (EU) members and represents a major turning point from the current legislative framework in Europe. Significantly for mining, it will impact on ores and concentrates, as well as alloys and metal products.... more...

...The EU has struck a deal over Reach (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals). Under Reach, the properties of roughly 30,000 chemicals produced in or imported to the European Union would have to be registered with a central agency. Those of highest concern, such as carcinogens, would require testing and authorisation. Reach is due to come into force in 2007.... more...

...Ageus Solutions, a leader in end-to-end EU RoHS and WEEE, Japan Green and China RoHS compliance services, unveils consulting and documentation services for chemical and electronics producers and importers affected by REACH regulations. The REACH services build upon Ageus' commitment to comprehensive product stewardship and environmental management.... more...

...Dec 15th 2006 . . .Barely two days ago, Europe's over-regulation-prone lawmaking bodies announced that the European Parliament had finally approved for adoption and implementation the highly controversial 'REACH' chemicals regulatory regime. Since the adoption of REACH is certain to have a severely negative impact on global industry and seriously undermine confidence in the international trading system, do Europe's governing institutions honestly believe that REACH will escape a vigorous challenge at the World Trade Organization?... more...

...The Environmental Authorities proposes a General Ban on Mercury in Products. The proposal will prohibit mercury in switches and relays, used as chemical in analysis, in measuring devices and as dental amalgam.... more...

...Is the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), passed in 1976 and essentially unchanged since then, still adequate for regulating commercial chemicals in the 21st century? A point-counterpoint article on that topic, scheduled for the Jan. 8 issue of the ACS's weekly newsmagazine, Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), offers opposing viewpoints.... more...

...Dec 13th. . ."Today's vote by the European Parliament has unfortunately failed to produce workable chemical legislation. The compromise package approved by the Parliament has not addressed many of the key concerns repeatedly expressed by industry and major EU trading partners.... more...

...Recently, the European Union has adopted some of the world's strictest policies on e-waste and potentially hazardous chemicals. Economic and environmental impacts of the new regulations will be felt far beyond Europe, says Stacy D. VanDeveer, a visiting fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.... more...

...As many will know, the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals Regulations (REACH) are coming into force next year. These require all manufacturers and suppliers who deal with chemicals to share all important safety information with their customers and chemical users right down the supply chain to the user.... more...

...Recently, the European Union has adopted some of the world's strictest policies on e-waste and potentially hazardous chemicals. Economic and environmental impacts of the new regulations will be felt far beyond Europe, says Stacy D. VanDeveer, a visiting fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies.... more...

...December 14, 2006 (ENS) - The European Parliament Wednesday approved a new regulation for 30,000 chemicals which will oblige producers to register all chemical substances produced or imported above a total quantity of one metric ton per year.... more...

...The European Union’s (EU’s) Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive (or, more correctly, the "Framework Directive for the setting of Eco-design requirements for Energy Using Products") came into force in August 2005 and is one of a series of laws aimed at directly reducing the environmental impacts of products in the EU, rather than the impacts of the factories and processes that make them.... more...

...The programme 'Safer chemicals within REACH', produced for the European Commission, now is available on EUX.TV, the Europe channel.... more...

...Representatives of the American Chemistry Council in Arlington, Va. say that the European Parliament approved REACH "in a form that will unnecessarily stifle trade and innovation." Leaders from the Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development (ITSSD) in Princeton, N.J. say that the adoption of REACH "is certain to have a severely negative impact on global industry and will seriously undermine confidence in the international trading system."... more...

...Stringent import restrictions such as the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), sanitary measures for aquacultural products, and information requirements on food and product labels will be implemented early next year on goods imported by the European Union.... more...

...Bulgaria and Romania - two ex-communist nations from one of the poorest corners of Europe - joined the European Union, bringing the bloc's membership to 27 nations.... more...

...With the new year's arrival, previously communist countries of Bulgaria and Romania have officially become part of the European Union. The European Union now boasts 27 nations and 500 million people. Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov was quoted as saying "Bulgaria will be a stable, predictable and trustworthy member of the European Union."... more...