The re-cast EU Regulation that governs the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals has been in force since 1 March 2014. This guidance document assists duty holders in applying the specific provisions for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals under the Regulation.

Throughout the end of the year, the availability of REACH-IT, R4BP 3 and ECHA contact forms will be limited. ECHA's premises and switchboard will also be closed between 24 December 2014 and 1 January 2015.

However, the Committee did not reach unanimous agreement on the human health related parts of Denmark's proposals for the four phthalates. For the first time, an MSC opinion with majority and minority views on the SVHC proposals will now be sent to the European Commission for final decision.

Among the CLH opinions there are 10 copper compounds, 7 pesticide active substances and 2 glass microfibers.

The December issue of the ECHA Newsletter has been published. In this issue, we tell about how the use of read-across and categories can improve the safety of nanomaterials and explain what benefits the new Public Activities Coordination Tool brings. You can also read our top tips for the CLP 2015 deadline, learn about the new features of the R4BP 3.2 and find out how we plan to improve our news products based on the feedback received in the yearly news readership survey. The Newsletter is also always available in PDF format on the Newsletter web page.