On Friday 14 June, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) reached agreement on a mandate for the forthcoming negotiations with the European Parliament on the ‘one substance, one assessment’ (OSOA) package, designed to improve knowledge of chemical substances throughout the EU.
The package includes a directive on the re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks, a regulation to strengthen cooperation between EU agencies in the field of chemicals and a regulation establishing a common platform for data on chemicals (see EUROPE 13309/6).
The use of dangerous substances can be restricted or banned in the EU by including them on the Community list of restricted substances. Under the new rules, applications for exemption from the list will now be submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
In their negotiating mandate, the Member States agreed that the Commission should periodically review and amend the list of restricted substances (at least every five years) to ensure a high level of protection for human health, the environment and consumer safety.
The new rules aim to bring together data and information on chemicals through the creation of a common data platform, including human biomonitoring data. This platform, managed by ECHA, will provide a comprehensive overview of studies carried out on chemicals. The platform is also setting up an early warning and action system for emerging chemical risks. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)