Member State experts on the REACH Committee unanimously approved a Commission proposal raising the minimum target for compliance checks of REACH registration dossiers from 5% to 20%, the Commission announced on Thursday 19 September, the day after a meeting of the REACH regulatory body.
The amendment to the REACH regulation aims to encourage dossier compliance. It could be adopted by the Commission in three months’ time if the European Parliament and the EU Council do not object.
Compliance checks carried out by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) assess the description of the substance's identity, as well as safety information relating to human health and the environment.
According to the REACH regulation, ECHA currently must check at least 5% of the registration dossiers for each tonnage band.
Under the new minimum target, ECHA will check 20% of dossiers for substances registered in very large quantities (more than 100 tonnes per year) by 2023 and 20% of dossiers for substances registered in small quantities (1 to 100 tonnes per year) by 2027, covering about 30% of the registered substances.
The Commission's proposal was based on an assessment indicating that, out of 90,000 dossiers submitted by industry so far, the information provided did not comply with REACH requirements in about one third of the dossiers audited.
Compliance check is based on eight key parameters: genotoxicity, repeated-dose toxicity, pre-natal developmental toxicity, reproduction toxicity, carcinogenicity, long-term aquatic toxicity, biodegradation and bioaccumulation.
These criteria make it possible to identify substances of concern and establish whether the criteria for substances of very high concern are likely to be met.
Under REACH, companies are required to regularly review their registration dossiers to update them, if necessary. The Commission is preparing a regulation to specify the deadlines for updates. It will also clarify certain information requirements. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)