Reach: Euro SMEs warn of "tens of thousands" of lost jobs

13 July 2005 12:03  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--Small to medium-sized chemicals enterprises (SMEs) across the European Union have warned of the potential loss of “tens of thousands” of jobs as a result of implementation of the Reach regulations.

 

The Bonn, Germany-based SME Action Group has called on the European Parliament to find practicable solutions for SMEs in the chemicals industry under the proposed registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (Reach) policy.

 

Group spokesman and managing director of Lahnstein, Germany-based specialty chemicals producer Zschimmer & Schwartz, Erhardt Fiebiger, said: “It must not be the sort of political compromise that continues to be enormously cost-intensive and ultimately fails to help small and medium-sized enterprises. Because it’s irrelevant whether the registration costs that drive a company to the wall amount to 70 or 35 million euros.”

 

He said that it made no sense to apply Reach to harmless materials and that the outlay for registering a substance should be in line with the associated risk inherent in a particular application.

 

“Here we are looking for arguments that are based on the facts, which do not immediately view all chemical substances across the board as a threat to humankind and the environment, and revile the manufacturers of these materials as potential poisoners,” Fiebiger said.

 

SME Action Group brings together over 240 small to medium-sized chemicals companies from Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain. The initiative was formed under the banner “Objection! No to an unrealistic EU chemical policy”.

 

Meanwhile, in Brussels, the “social partners” of the chemical industry – the European Chemical Employers Group and The European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers Federation – and Cefic, said that their common position “Reach and health safety management” had last night been taken into consideration at the European Parliament by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.

 

Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council) said that the social partners are “committed to contribute to a successful implementation of an improved and workable Reach but also share their joint long experience in contributing to regulation in chemicals management with other sectors”.

By: Mark Whitfield
+44 20 8652 3214

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly