Statement on EU white paper REACH

On 29 October 2003, the European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal for the new European Union (EU) regulatory framework for chemicals, REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals). Enterprises that manufacture or import chemical substances are required to register such activities in a central database. REACH gives greater responsibility to industry to man¬age the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the substances. FELASA has a responsibility to comment on the White Paper because the actions described therein involve a huge number of laboratory animals.