Planspiel zur neuen EU-Chemikalienpolitik (REACH) in NRW

Aim and Background

In 1999, under German Presidency, the European Council asked the European Commission to set up an approach with new instruments for a new European strategy on chemicals management. In 2001, the Commission subsequently published a White Paper called ‘Strategy for a future European chemicals policy’. After intensive discussions with all involved parties, a proposal for a new Regulation, called REACH, was brought in to Council and Parliament (co-decision procedure) in October 2003. Different impact assessments concerning the strategy of the White Paper presumed dramatically increasing costs for the chemical industry. Due to these discussions, the Government of North Rhine-Westphalia decided to conduct a pilot project on workability of the new requirements in the second half of 2003. The parties involved were administrations, producers, industrial associations, unions and NGOs. The focus was not to test the entire Regulation, but to analyse the practicability of selected processes, evaluations, and communication processes connected with the registration of substances.

Results

Examining the requirements and processes with regard to their realization in practice, resulted in a list of well-founded proposals. These proposals concern modification in the Regulation itself, implementation tools required, and guidelines which will need to be available before the REACH system is launched. The pivot questions of the pilot testing were the acceptance of data of substance-effects and their evaluation in different application areas. The registration Agency (played by the German Competent Authorities) checked the presented documents concerning completeness and plausibility. For all presented papers inquiries were needed In summary, the simulation has provided concrete evidence of where and why REACH may cause problems. Lack of simple instruments and corresponding knowledge for conducting exposition scenarios were noticed. The simulation process facilitated a new communication of all parties along the supply chain. In addition, the development of new networks could be observed to ease co-operation between authorities and those active on the market. These networks continue to exist even after cessation of the pilot trial.