As part of the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), one of the components of the Green Deal, and in particular the “1 substance, 1 assessment” approach, the European Commission has just launched a call for evidence on its proposal for an autonomous founding Regulation of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). This initiative aims to strengthen its governance and adapt it to the future role of the Agency, as well as to streamline the working methods of ECHA bodies and make their financing more sustainable.
The context
The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) adopted on 14 October 2020 is part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition, which is a key commitment of the European Green Deal.
One of the key ambitions of the CSS is to simplify legislation and consolidate EU rules on chemicals. To achieve this, the CSS outlines a number of measures to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and consistency of safety assessments through the “1 substance, 1 assessment” approach. This includes a proposal “to strengthen the governance of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and increase the sustainability of its financing model” considering:
• The reduced and unpredictable fee income following the last regulatory registration deadline in 2018 under the REACH Regulation, and
• The planned reassignment of scientific and technical work to EU agencies
ECHA was originally set up to manage and carry out the technical, scientific and administrative work of the EU’s chemicals policy and to ensure the consistency of this work at EU level.
As part of the the REACH Regulation review, the ECHA performance was evaluated in 2017.
The targeted problems
Tasks and functioning of the Agency
The tasks and how ECHA should operate are set out in Title …
