Spain backs European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to reduce effective exposure of human beings and environment to dangerous chemicals

This REACH UP group encompasses some 10 countries that are calling for an ambitious chemicals strategy that leads to the reduction of the effective exposure of human beings and the environment to dangerous chemicals while improving the competitiveness and innovation of European industry to ensure safe and sustainable chemical products.

Together with Spain, the countries that make up the REACH UP group are Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Sweden and Norway. These countries have welcomed the "EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, for a toxin-free environment", which the European Commission approved on 14 October, although they stress that it is now important to focus on its correct implementation.

In her speech, Teresa Ribera explained that the next step to be taken must be designed to push through suitable legislative developments, which must be proposed by the Commission, and to provide the Strategy with means and resources, particularly in relation to innovation to make progress on substitutes to risky substances. "We must prioritise the production and sustainable use of chemical products. On the one hand, this will facilitate the transition to the circular economy and strengthen ties between climate, energy and biodiversity policies while allowing us to achieve a toxin-free environment with the resulting benefits for human health", she underlined.

Contributions from the REACH UP group

The set of countries that make up the REACH UP group, which Spain has formed part of since 2019, promote greater ambition in the measures to be demanded from the European Commission. To that end, they have made different contributions to the debate on the Strategy, which has finally taken on various proposals for this initiative:

To speed up the substitution and removal of chemical substances that cause great concern, including imports of products prepared with these substances that are banned in the EU. The chemical products that cause concern should only be permitted when their use is considered essential for society:

• To develop measures to boost industry in developing safe and sustainable chemical products starting with their design.
• Coherence in legislation on chemical substances, products and waste to guarantee a circular economy that functions correctly with safe chemical products, non-toxic and high quality secondary raw materials and sustainable products.
• Address existing and emerging questions of interest, such as endocrine disruptors, the combined effects of substances that threaten the environment and human health and the regulation of persistent perfluorinated substances (PFAS).
• To promote the highest environmental and human health standards at an international level beyond the EU.

In the latest ministerial letter sent to the Commission, the REACH UP group underlined that now is the time to do away with the erroneous idea that the protection of health and the environment hinders innovation and a competitive economy. On the contrary, the commitment by Spain and its 10 partners to this group is based on innovation and competitiveness requiring a green transition towards the circular economy free of toxins, to a healthy planet and population, taking into account that a health crisis has led to the worst economic recession in decades.

Non official translation