On Thursday 29 January, MEPs on the Committees on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) were divided over the proposal for a regulation to simplify certain requirements and procedures applicable to chemical products (see EUROPE 13746/3).
The draft report by Dimitris Tsiodras (EPP, Greek) and Piotr Müller (ECR, Polish) aims to simplify the rules governing chemical products, particularly in terms of labelling, notification and administrative procedures.
Idoia Mendia (S&D, Spanish) criticised the changes proposed by the European Commission, arguing that they were not based on sufficient scientific evidence, particularly for cosmetic products.
Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe, Slovak), for his part, criticised the lack of an impact assessment.
Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA, German) warned of the risk that certain hazardous substances in cosmetics could remain on the market even when they are deemed not to be absorbed by the skin, and of the new rules allowing labelling to be too small.
For Per Clausen (The Left, Danish), the proposal is an attack on human rights.
Dimitris Tsiodras stated that protecting health and the environment “is not negotiable”. He undertook to ensure that exemption procedures for substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR) will be based on science. MEPs have until 3 February to table their amendments. The relevant committees are due to vote on the draft report on 17 March, while the Εuropean Parliament plenary vote is expected in April.
The main elements of the draft report are as follows:
- on labels, it is proposed to extend the exemptions for small packages (< 10 ml) and to extend the re-labelling period from 6 to 18 months for suppliers;
- on the criteria applicable to CMR derogations, the rapporteurs add that the derogation request must be submitted within 6 months (instead of the 3 months proposed by the Commission) of the classification of a substance as CMR;
- an alternative substance must demonstrate a reduction in the risk to health and the environment, and not simply replace the substance concerned;
- transitional periods would be extended: 18 months for placing on the market and 36 months for disposing of stocks (as opposed to the 12 and 24 months proposed by the Commission);
- natural constituents (essential oils) containing CMR substances are not automatically banned, unless the mixture itself is classified as CMR;
- on fertilisers, accelerated inclusion of micro-organisms, with the addition of Bacillus spp. and Paenibacillus spp. to the positive list of authorised components.
The draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/khh (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)