The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and other NGOs are alarmed at attempts by the Commission’s Industry services to undermine the ambition of the draft Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, prepared by the Environment services for presentation in the autumn (see EUROPE 12526/29, 12517/13).
The EEB expressed its strong concerns in a letter addressed primarily to the First Executive Vice-President in charge of the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, published on 24 July.
“DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) is looking to redraft and substantially lower the ambition of the proposal by DG Environment (DG ENV), stripping back measures essential to the delivery on the zero-pollution target”, writes Jeremy Wates, EEB Secretary General.
He is referring to the revelations in Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), which on 16 July analysed a draft text that leaked. CEO accused DG GROW of being a mouthpiece for the chemical industry lobby. (https://bit.ly/3jIYuk5 )
“We are very concerned that DG GROW is neglecting scientific evidence on the threats that hazardous chemicals pose to people and nature”, said Mr Wates on behalf of BUND/Friends of the Earth (FoE) Germany, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), ChemSec, CHEM Trust, ClientEarth, France Nature Environnement and the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
He asked Frans Timmermans “to step in and ensure that the strategy will effectively contribute to achieving a toxic-free environment”.
The letter’s criticisms include:
- the suggestion of reintroducing “the outdated SMART regulation process”, in order to deregulate, in place of a hierarchy giving priority to harm prevention and safe-by-design innovation;
- the proposal of limiting the ability of Member States and EU institutions to regulate endocrine disrupters and persistent, mobile and toxic substances, mixtures of chemicals, and hazardous chemical substances in all sectors.
To read the letter: https://bit.ly/3hJ5uve (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)