REACH regulation

17.12.2014

Question for written answer E-010893-14
to the Commission
Rule 130
Ernest Maragall (Verts/ALE)

REACH authorisation is having significant, previously unforeseen, impacts on the functioning of the internal market and the position of European companies in the global market. More and more downstream users (DUs) of chemicals are facing the fact that they have to apply for authorisation of their use under REACH.

This is no longer about regulating chemical substances, but about technology and the technological competitiveness of the EU market. Industrial DUs of chemicals are often to be found in activities that use certain non-substitutable substances to enhance their very specific technology.

If risk in the workplace is the only risk identified under REACH, can workplace exposure not be regulated by strictly implementing risk management measures and additionally setting an occupational exposure limit (OEL)?

Has the Commission considered enabling DG Employment (resources and as per share of responsibilities) to set OELs wherever a substance is put on the REACH Candidate List, and could these OELs then be regarded as ‘sufficiently regulated’ under Article 58(2) of REACH so as to exempt industrially used substances from authorisation requirements under REACH, in order to guarantee the functioning of the internal market and safeguard the global competiveness of EU industry?