EU REACH Legislation on Toxic Chemicals in Manufacturing and Products

That the Parliament notes that the European Parliament has approved the EU Council’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation on the regulation of toxic chemicals in the environment; is concerned at reports of intense lobbying at EU level by chemicals industries and the watering down of initial proposals, including those for the substitution of the most hazardous chemicals; is concerned that chemicals that cause cancer, reproductive disorders, birth defects and hormonal disturbances will continue be used in manufacturing and in consumer goods, despite the availability of safer alternatives; is concerned that there will be an increase in testing chemicals on animals; is concerned that, since the chemicals industry can continue to invoke commercial confidentiality, consumers will continue to have “no right to know” which chemicals are contained in products; recognises that legal loopholes and provisions for self-regulation contained in the new measures leave REACH open to the possibility of manipulation by chemicals industries; believes that the development and work of a new EU chemicals agency in Helsinki must be completely independent of the chemicals industry and closely monitored during implementation of REACH to ensure that the presence of toxic chemicals in the environment is reduced to minimise contamination of people and wildlife, and calls on the Scottish Executive to use its influence at UK and EU level to ensure that this is achieved.