The European Chemicals Agency implements the EU chemicals legislation, including the REACH, CLP, Biocidal Products, and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulations. The current ECHA rules are from 2006 and they are part of the REACH Regulation’s legal text. In order to update how the Agency functions and also considering increasing tasks, the Commission is expected to come forward with a separate Regulation for ECHA. It would aim to strengthen ECHA’s governance, adapt it to its future role, streamline the working methods of ECHA bodies and make their financing more sustainable. The Commission internally discussing if the proposal will be presented during the current mandate or by the next Commission.
EURATEX Position
• The new ECHA Regulation should ensure that decisions in the ECHA’s Committees would always be done in a transparent manner and by including stakeholders to the decision-making process, especially due to their expertise
• As well-functioning EU market surveillance system is an essential prerequisite to protect citizens, the role of ECHA’s Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement (Forum) should be strengthened
• Given the new tasks for ECHA and restructuring, a proper Impact Assessment should be conducted to ensure that new changes are thoroughly evaluated and ensured that reforms are more efficient than how ECHA functions today
