On Saturday 9 May, the European Commission opened a public consultation on its future 'Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability'.
The Commission considers that the regulatory framework in this area needs to be simplified and strengthened "to further increase the level of protection of human health and environment - in particular from exposure to endocrine disruptors, combinations of chemicals, hazardous chemicals in products including in imports, and very persistent chemicals."
The strategy is thus expected to establish "a vision and a comprehensive framework for action" enabling all parties, including industry, to work together to help better protect citizens and the environment from hazardous chemicals while encouraging innovation for the development of safe and sustainable alternatives.
In particular, the Commission will examine how to bring EU agencies and scientific bodies together, with a view to moving towards a process where a substance is evaluated by only one agency and to ensure greater transparency in setting priorities for action on chemicals.
According to the institution, the strategy will also "support EU’s strategic autonomy in the production of essential chemicals across key sectors".
The consultation is open until 20 June. The presentation of the strategy is scheduled for the third quarter.
To access the public consultation: https://bit.ly/2YTaZl6 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)