Brussels, 11/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - After the European legislation on traceability and labelling of GMOs, it is the Community legislation being prepared on chemical products that causes American concern. During a press conference, on Monday in Brussels, a representative of the US Administration, responsible for trade, noted the concerns of the United States regarding the potential impact that this future legislation will have on transatlantic trade. In his view, the scope of the proposals being prepared by the Commission to make it compulsory to register and assess risks caused by chemical substances is too wide, and does not establish an order of priority in the products to be assessed. Under these conditions, the United States doubts that the objective - safety and protection of the environment - can be attained, explained the American official. Such criticism is identical to that expressed by the representatives of European industry in the polemic which, within the Union, opposes them to those in defence of the environment and consumers. This, moreover, is the polemic that partly explains the Commission's delay in presenting its proposals, deferred on several occasions.