The EU's REACH Regulation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals sparked controversy at the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade meeting held on November 9, 2007.
The EU's REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) regulation requires manufacturers and importers of chemical substances (including substances, preparations and finished products) produced or imported annually exceeding one tonne within the EU to collect complete information on the chemical substances in their products and register with the European Chemicals Agency (ECFA) before production or importation. Chemical substances classified as hazardous require authorization before they can be marketed or used. The REACH regulation came into effect on June 1, 2007, and it is expected that the registration of all chemical substances will be completed within 11 years.
According to a press release from the World Trade Organization (WTO), Argentina raised several concerns about the REACH regulation at a meeting of the Technical Barriers Committee, including the regulation's complexity, vague definitions of terms, potential lack of consistency in registration procedures among member states, and the regulation's impact on non-EU companies and SMEs. Countries around the world, including China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States, expressed similar concerns to Argentina.
Following these responses, the EU stated that it has begun revising the REACH regulations in response to the feedback received, and pointed out that the European Commission should be responsible for standardizing the registration process. Furthermore, the European Commission stated that the REACH regulations do not discriminate against foreign companies, as their requirements are the same for companies both within and outside the EU. The Commission also specifically stated that information regarding the REACH regulations is available online (such as guidelines, technical guidance, and Help Desks established by EU member states). The REACH regulations have clearly become a frequent topic of discussion at WTO Technical Barriers to Trade meetings. According to data released by the World Trade Organization, since March 2003, the REACH regulation has been discussed at 15 WTO meetings, and more than 20 WTO members have expressed their concerns.
Because the REACH regulation shifts the responsibility for chemical management to businesses, it will take a long time for the EU to gain positive recognition from the outside world. However, the EU emphasizes that the REACH regulation is indeed necessary given the existence of more than 100,000 chemical substances and the lack of information on them.
– Reference source: Hong Kong Trade Development Council website, 2007-12-07
