Germany

Together with the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), InfoMil organised a two-day workshop. The project was financed by the UBA and Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the environment (IM).

Project Objective

The aim of the workshop was to exchange information between the EU Member States on the practical consequences of REACH on other legal and administrative environmental instruments (e.g. environmental emission and quality standards, monitoring, licences and permits) used to reduce the risks from chemical substances. Presentations, discussions and the collection of best practice examples as well as typical obstacles concentrated on the following topics:

  • Consequences of REACH on the local situation in the Member States with respect to environmental licensing.
  • Emission-related strategic issues.
  • Emission-based strategic issues for monitoring.
  • Precaution and strategic points for an integrated monitoring of substances of very high concern (SVHC).
  • Consequences of REACH for the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

EU Relevance

REACH is the Regulation (1907/2006/EC) for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on 1 June 2007 to streamline and improve the European Union's legislative framework on chemicals. REACH places greater responsibility on industry to manage and reduce the risks that chemicals may pose to health and the environment. REACH has an additional objective: to assure the free movement of chemicals within the EU market and to enhance innovation and the competitiveness of the EU-based chemical industry. As REACH is a regulation, it is directly applicable in every Member State.

Project Results

The overall project results are:

  • More insight into the area of tension between REACH implementation and the sectoral environmental legislation for the authorities in the Member States.
  • REACH creates no further legal cooperation needs for environmental authorities except the general duty to cooperate with the ECHA. Information management is one major challenge that needs to be developed by national authorities.
  • The authorities within the Member States must cooperate in order to ensure the enforcement of REACH and in order to benefit from the information generated under REACH. In order to harmonise enforcement activities, experience exchange at EU level was seen as crucial.
  • Authorities from the EU Member States must cooperate in order to be able to use the new information given by REACH for an emission-based monitoring strategy.
  • There is a strong need for better exchange of information between national competent authorities (horizontal) and MS and Commission/ECHA (vertical) particularly concerning BAT (best available technologies) and Risk Management Measures.
  • The communication between local and central authorities is necessary, especially regarding cooperation between the competent authorities for REACH and those responsible for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. Both must exchange their information needs and analyse points of cooperation to improve efficiency in their work.

Beneficiary Institutions

Government and administrative (national and local) authorities.

Duration of the project

Two days, October 11 and 12, 2007.

More information

For more information please contact InfoMil.