African Nations Pressure EU Over Chemicals Bill
Date: 31-Oct-05
Country: BELGIUM
Author: Jeff Mason
Jerry Matjila, South African ambassador to the EU, said President Thabo Mbeki wrote letters last week expressing concern about the bill, known as REACH, to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and British Prime Minster Tony Blair, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.
"Our concern has been the potential impact of REACH on the developing countries," Matjila said. He said the bill, which would apply to metals in addition to chemical substances, would generate costs that would push African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states further into poverty.
South African officials said their concerns were widely shared by other African countries.
REACH, which stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, is designed to protect people and the environment from adverse effects of chemicals found in a wide range of products from cars to computers.
Chemical makers would have to register the properties of substances with a central EU database. Those of highest concern, like carcinogens, would undergo a risk assessment and the most dangerous chemicals would require a special authorisation.
REACH also covers metals, steel, alloys and waste and scrap materials. The metals industry says they should be exempt from the legislation altogether. Environmentalists say metals should be covered because they can be dangerous and highly toxic.
African nations are heavily dependant on mining. Matjila said 20 ACP states depend on mining exports for more than 10 percent of their total revenues, and in 16 of those countries, mining makes up more than 30 percent of exports.
"If REACH is passed in its present form ... we will suffer quite a lot in Africa, in the ACP countries," he said, adding the legislation would negate development objectives that Blair and other EU leaders hope will pull Africa out of poverty.
Other nations, including the United States, have expressed concern about the bill affecting trade flows.
"We are listening to the concerns of our international partners," European Commission environment spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich said.
The REACH bill is scheduled to be debated in the European Parliament in November, and Britain hopes to obtain a compromise agreement among EU member states before the end of this year.
Both Britain and EU lawmakers are advancing proposals that would ease the regulatory burden on makers and importers of chemicals in the 1-10 tonne range, but more changes and amendments are still being hammered out.
