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Contrary to "speculation", the Commission will not table a radically modified text on the controversial proposal to assess and register chemical products in the EU (REACH), says Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.
A public hearing held in Parliament on 19 January sent mixed signals to MEPs as to whether the Commission would table a radically modified proposal on the new EU chemicals legislation (see EurActiv, 21 January 2005).
It was expected for the modified proposal to take on board amendments coming from the Parliament's first reading as well as amendments inspired by further impact assessment studies currently being carried out.
Two further impact assessment studies are currently in the pipeline:
LinksDossier: Chemicals Policy review (REACH)
The Commission will not dramatically redraft the EU controversial REACH proposal on chemicals, Environment Commissioner Dimas told German members of Bundestag and European Parliament on 4 April.
"I am convinced that the Commission's proposal already strikes the right balance between environmental and health protection, on the one hand, and the needs of a competitive industry on the other," Dimas said.
"Although there is room for manoeuvre, we cannot depart very far from the present proposal without compromising this balance," he explained.
Answering to "speculation" that the Commission would withdraw or rewrite its initial proposal, Dimas said those were "unfounded". "As you know, we are not going to do that."
A spokesperson for Mr Dimas told EurActiv that amendments from both Parliament and impact assessment results will indeed be taken on board. But they will be introduced by the Commission as part of the normal co-decision procedure, after Parliament's first reading.
(4 April 2005)
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