On Monday 25 November, members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee discussed three draft reports proposing: - the reallocation of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA); - improved cooperation between EU agencies in the field of chemicals; - the creation of a common data platform on chemicals.
The future platform will have to make data easy to find, accessible, interoperable and reusable in order to define a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals.
These draft reports are part of the ‘one substance–one assessment’ legislative package, adopted by the European Commission on 7 December 2023, which aims to use various legislative acts to improve the efficiency, consistency and transparency of chemical substance safety assessments.
There are several objectives: to ensure the safety of chemical products; to protect the environment and consumer health from hazardous chemical products; to boost competitiveness.
Submitted as part of the ‘EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability’, the proposed legislative package “fully integrates the political guidelines and the letter from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which focuses on simplification and clarity in legislation”, said the European Commission during the discussions. This is already giving rise to disagreements between the political groups.
Data transparency in relation to the future common platform on chemical substances must not, for example, undermine the confidentiality of “specific strategic information”, which must maintain “the competitive advantage of companies and encourage innovation”, according to the rapporteur for the draft reports, Dimitris Tsiodras (EPP, Greek).
On the other hand, Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French) would like “all the data produced by industry” to appear on the platform, and for it to be transparent. The MEP also advocates “giving citizens and NGOs the power to raise the alarm and trigger the production of data or the taking into account of data”. In his view, the latter “must be able to raise the alarm”. He also believes that independent science should play a greater role in risk assessments.
Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA, German) also put consumer protection first. While she believes that the creation of a platform is good news, she also thinks it should include “items”, because “this is the context in which people come into contact with chemicals”.
Christophe Clergeau and Jutta Paulus were also sorry that the platform would not be ready for another three years. It will “take another seven years to populate it”, according to her, who is of the opinion that “digitalisation should enable things to move more quickly”.
Meanwhile, European citizens are faced with a gradual explosion in “cancers, chronic diseases and their impact on fertility”, said Mr Clergeau. The MEP emphasised the “systemic risk to health from the cumulative effects of the products to which we are exposed”.
MEPs have until 3 December to table amendments. The vote in the Environment Committee is scheduled for 18 February 2025 and the plenary vote for the April 2025 session. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)