Council of the EU Adopts Conclusions on Chemicals to Offer Political Guidance on Sustainable EU Chemicals Policy Strategy

On June 26, 2019, the Council of the European Union (EU) announced that it adopted conclusions on chemicals intended to “offer political guidance on the development of a sustainable EU chemicals policy strategy.”  The June 26, 2019, press release notes that the conclusions address in particular the topics of Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, endocrine disruptors, nanomaterials, and pharmaceuticals.  According to the press release, the Council requests the European Commission (EC) to extend the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) mandate to collect and make available research data on the characterization, hazard, and potential exposure of “nanoforms of substances that were so far not registered under REACH because their yearly tonnage is below the threshold of 1 tonne/year.”  The Council also states that the EU should “regularly ask ECHA to evaluate the performance and the impact of the EU-Observatory on Nanomaterials which was launched in 2017.”