Commission preliminary findings on REACH infringements

The European Commission presentation on the preliminary findings of the REACHⁱ infringement penalties report has found that fines for infringements of the EU’s REACH Regulation vary widely between Member States, and that some may not be high enough. The details from the report were presented to the European Chemical Agency (ECHAⁱ)’s third stakeholder day in December. While some Member States such as the UK and Poland have set very high sanctions, others like Austria and Romania have set them low, says the report. The Commission has warned that the lowest fines may not deter large producers.

The consultants’ (Milieu) report, however, will not be published before March. The Commission’s preliminary findings on enforcement can be found here:

http://echa.europa.eu/doc/press/events/stks_day_20090712/3rd_stk_day_pres_overview_enforcement_approach_among_ms_balcerzyk.pdf