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CEMBUREAU has issued two updated Safety Data Sheet templates for clinker and cement, together with updated template guidelines.

Annex I of the Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD - Council Directive 67/548/EEC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances) has been amended for the 31st time (2009/2/EC).

Regulation 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, has been published in the EU’s Official Journal (OJ).

A list of almost 145,000 substances pre-registered by EU firms between June and December 2008 has now been published by ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency.

Art 126 of REACH requires Member States to notify the European Commission by 1 December 2008 of the provisions for the penalties applicable for REACH infringements.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published an updated version of the list of pre-registered substances on its website.

Draft Council conclusions on an integrated approach to a competitive and sustainable industrial policy were adopted in April.

The Commission has issued a statement on whether carbon dioxide should be a named substance with suitable thresholds in a revision of Council Directive 96/82/EC (Seveso Directive).

The European Commission has been given the green light to update how chemicals are tested to ensure they comply with REACH regulations.

The cement sector is concerned that the alternative list of substances of very high concern, released by the European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) in March 2009, will cause confusion and hinder the effective assessment of substances.