The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council on the so-called ‘one substance, one assessment’ (OSOA) package – a key deliverable of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
The initiative aims to streamline the hazard and risk assessment of chemicals across the EU and improve access to information on chemicals through a common data platform. It is a significant step towards better and faster protection of people’s health and the environment.
People, companies, as well as EU and Member State authorities will benefit from a more coherent, predictable and transparent assessment of chemicals used in products, such as medical devices, toys, food, pesticides and biocides.
The ‘one substance, one assessment’ package is composed of three legislative proposals:-
- A regulation establishing a common data platform on chemicals.
- A regulation re-attributing technical tasks and improving cooperation among EU agencies.
- A directive on the re-attribution of technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
The new measures will contribute to the Commission’s simplification agenda by enabling easy access to data on chemicals with a new common data platform, the establishment of a new monitoring and outlook framework that will allow for the early detection of chemical risks, strengthening cooperation and consolidating scientific and technical work on chemicals between EU agencies.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Economy, said:
“Today’s provisional agreement paves the way for a safer and healthier future for people and the environment. This more coherent and efficient legal framework on chemicals, with simplified assessment processes, will make it easier to do business while ensuring swifter protection from hazardous chemicals.”
The European Parliament and the Council must now formally adopt the package before it can enter into force. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
