22/09/2016 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 21 September, the member states gave the green light to the proposal of the European Commission to harmonise the usage information on the safety and hazards related to a number of chemical products, amongst other things to facilitate the work of anti-poison centres. The vote took place in the framework of the REACH committee for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals. The aim is to standardise the national regulatory frameworks and so to reduce the administrative burdens facing the chemical industries. The other aim is to improve the response time of the anti-poison centres in the event of an emergency. The proposal was examined in 2015 and 2016 by the CARACAL committee, which brings together the competent authorities for the REACH and CLP regulations, and the REACH committee. The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU in January 2017 and will apply to chemical mixtures designed for consumer use from 2020. Chemical mixtures for professional and industrial use will be subject to new conditions from 2021 and 2024. (PH)