Cefic expands its membership base into central and eastern Europe
Cefic announced at its general assembly in Helsinki in June that it is to expand its membership towards central and eastern Europe. Full membership will be granted to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Turkey. The federations in Estonia, Lithuania and Bulgaria were made associate members.
The expansion is a result of Cefic's decade-long commitment to EU enlargement. Specific programmes have already been established in cooperation with the EC and the federations from central and eastern Europe, aimed at incorporating EU rules and best practices into national regulatory frameworks, and ensuring they are applied by the chemical industry.
In his speech at the assembly, Cefic president Jean-Pierre Tirouflet said the most important legislative issue facing the industry at the moment is the review of the EU chemicals policy. While admitting that the industry agrees with much of what is included in the white paper, he said that it 'focuses excessively on heath and environmental protection, with little reference to the commercial and social aspects that are essential if we are to work towards a more sustainable future'.
The registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (Reach) approach outlined in the paper is causing most concern. It is based on the intrinsic properties of the chemicals, rather than focusing on the actual risks they may present. This could well lead to the arbitrary restriction or banning of chemicals. 'It is not good enough for us simply to complain about the aspects of the white paper that we don't like,' said Tirouflet. 'We must come up with workable solutions that not only overcome the problems and bottlenecks for the industry, but which are also acceptable to everyone else.'