(HELSINKI) - The European Union on Friday opened its new chemicals agency in Helsinki, tasked with implementing the EU's new chemicals legislation to eliminate dangerous chemicals through tightened regulation.

The so-called REACH regulation, which also comes into force on Friday, was adopted in December 2006 after three years of fierce debate, lengthy negotiations and intense lobbying from the chemical industry.

It requires companies to register all chemicals they use and provide information about them as well as any potential hazards. Some 30,000 chemical substances are to be registered over the next 11 years.

"All the indications are that implementing REACH will be a challenging operation due to its importance and (the) number of decisions to be taken by the Commission and by the Agency within a very short time span," EU Commission vice president Guenter Verheugen said at Friday's opening.

"The task of converting the REACH regulation into reality will very much depend on the quality and effectiveness of the agency's work. The success of REACH will rely on the European Chemicals Agency," Verheugen added.

He said REACH, which is short for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, was the result of "very difficult and long negotiations" and described it as the "world's most ambitious chemical legislation".

Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen noted that the launch of the agency was delayed due to the "futile dispute" over the allocation of several EU agencies.

Finland and Italy had a lengthy squabble over the location of the European Food Safety Authority, which was finally placed in Parma.

Under the new rules, the obligation to prove the safety of a chemical will shift from the authorities to industry.

Manufacturers and importers are required to generate data for all chemicals substances produced or imported into the EU above one tonne per year.

Chemical molecules are a part of everyday life and can be found in clothes, detergents, electrical appliances and toys. Their role in the rising number of allergies, cancer cases and infertility has however not yet been documented.

Out of the 100,000 chemical substances in the EU only some 3,000 that have been introduced on the market since 1981 have been studied.

Due to its location in the northern capital Helsinki the agency has proven unattractive to civil servants from the European central administration and it still needs to recruit some 150 scientist, technicians and administrative personnel.

The agency will be in operation as of June 1, 2008. Manufacturers and importers will then have six months to pre-register their products with ECHA, providing the agency with information on the type and volume of their goods.

The agency is set to be up and running in full capacity with 400 employees by 2010.

European Chemicals Agency

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the REACH Regulation - Questions and Answers

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