The objectives of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) are to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment as well as the free movement of substances, mixtures and articles. These objectives are fulfilled, inter alia, by establishing a list of substances with their harmonised classifications and labelling elements at Union level. Its article 37, in order to guarantee that the regulations are adapted to technical and scientific progress, empowers the Commission to quickly include substances in Table 3 of Part 3 of Annex VI, where it finds that the harmonisation of the classification and labelling is appropriate.

The European Commission has published Regulation (EU) 2020/878, amending the annex II of REACH regulation, that sets the requirements for chemical safety data sheet in the European Union.

Regulation shall apply from 1 January 2021, after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

We have summarized the main changes introduced by this new regulation:

The European Commission has just published "Readiness", an informative guide on preparations for the end of the transitional period between the European Union and the United Kingdom and which is addressed to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

Its objective? To help national authorities, businesses and citizens to prepare for the inevitable changes that will emerge at the end of the transition period, scheduled for January 1, 2021.

How are we delivering on safer chemicals?

How can companies prepare for the new EU obligations on chemicals kicking in next year?

These are the questions that the European Chemicals Agency ECHA wanted to address in its 2020 edition of the Safer Chemical Conference, a training meeting between experts that analyzed the main European lines of action implemented in the chemical industry with the aim to contribute to protecting the health and environment of EU citizens.

A few weeks ago, our teammates Pilar Ortiz-Alías and Nirav Banker were part of the SURFEX LIVE event with its webinar “Poison Centre Notifications (PCN): The UFI Code and European Harmonised Toxicological Notification”, in which they addressed the obligation, according to Article 45 of the CLP Regulation, of companies placing hazardous mixtures to provide information about it to the relevant national bodies, that make this information available to poison centres so that they can give advice to the citizens or medical personnel in the event of an emergency. The objective of this system, is to guarantee a high level of protection of human health and the free circulation of substances and mixtures within the EU.