EU commissioner calls for simpler chemicals laws

The EU's top environment official Karmenu Vella has called for simplifying the bloc's legislation on assessing and managing chemical risk. At the first day of a high-level conference in Brussels, aimed at soliciting recommendations for the EU's chemicals policy by 2030, the environment commissioner gave four suggestions. "My first recommendation would be to rationalise and simplify the legislative framework," he said, adding that REACH and CLP should remain at the centre of the framework "but with a simpler system for assessing and managing risk". Mr Vella also called for better implementation and enforcement of chemicals legislation, because "there are considerable variations in capacity between member states, and that means inconsistent application of EU law." Thirdly, he said a "joined-up approach" is necessary to guarantee that vulnerable groups are protected equally across legislation.
And finally, Mr Vella recommended building an "early warning system" to identify and manage emerging risks, with a "focus on long-term, large-scale effects on environment and health".