ECHA welcomes the REACH review outcome

ECHA/NR/18/12

The second REACH review by the European Commission says that the regulation is effective, but there is still room for improvement. ECHA welcomes the results and looks forward to strengthening its future role in chemicals management.

Helsinki, 5 March 2018 - In its REACH review, the European Commission notes that after 10 years, the REACH Regulation functions well, delivers results and addresses citizens’ concerns about chemical safety. However, further improvements are needed to make the legislation more efficient – especially for the evaluation, restriction and authorisation processes. The report sets out actions for ECHA, the Member States, Commission and industry.

One of the main findings addresses the high rate of non-compliance of registration dossiers that needs improvement. The Agency has already taken a variety of measures to improve the level of compliance of dossiers and will further develop remedies and enhance the efficiency of evaluation processes.

Bjorn Hansen, ECHA’s Executive Director says: “I welcome the review, it provides us with useful information on where we – ECHA, the Commission, Member States and industry – need to improve. We are already working on many of the areas identified in the report. Input from the review comes at a good time as we are currently shaping our future strategy. We are looking forward to the new tasks and having opportunities to use our competence in chemicals management in the future.”

Regarding ECHA’s future role, the Commission expects the Agency to become a European and global reference centre for the sustainable management of chemicals, capable of implementing other pieces of EU legislation. The report also highlights the need for long-term financial stability for ECHA after the registration fee income reduces.