ECHA

This is our last newsletter of 2011; hence a good chance to reflect on the year's work and to look towards 2012. You may already have noticed that we are now using our new visual identity for this newsletter.

ECHA has the pleasure to welcome companies to a workshop for lead registrants who are preparing for the 2013 registration deadline in Helsinki from 2-3 February 2012.

31 May 2013 is the deadline for industry to register all phase-in substances manufactured or imported in the EU in quantities between 100 and 1000 tonnes a year. Registration requires the submission of all available and relevant data on intrinsic properties and uses of substances.

In order to minimise costs, avoid unnecessary testing on animals, and facilitate the common classification and labelling of substances, the REACH Regulation has several provisions to facilitate data sharing between registrants.

Reflecting on the achievements of 2010 and preparing for the upcoming 2013 milestone, supporting small and medium sized enterprises, and sharing best practice were the main topics at a REACH conference in Rome.

A special working group to identify areas of support for SMEs was set up at a national REACH event in France.

What are today's challenges in communicating and processing Exposure Scenarios (ES) in the supply chain? How to organise a joint exposure scenario preparation and submission of a Chemical Safety Report (CSR) among registrants of the same substance? How to generate exposure scenarios on mixtures? These were the central themes discussed at a joint meeting with industry and ECHA's Exchange Network on Exposure Scenarios (ENES) in Brussels on 24 and 25 November 2011.

ECHA expects registrants to make use of the definition in preparing and updating their dossiers.

The European Commission published its regulatory definition of nanomaterials in mid October. The definition provides a size range for particles to be considered as nanoparticles (one or more external dimensions between 1 – 100 nm) and sets a threshold for nano-content (50% of the number of particles in a sample). It also takes into account that nanoparticles can interact with each other, forming larger structures (aggregates, conglomerates) which by themselves also should be considered as meeting the nano-definition.

The feedback of REACH registrants, given in response to a survey by ECHA, provides valuable information for future registrants as well as for the Agency ahead of the 2013 deadline.

The first workshop with the QSAR Toolbox industry users was held at ECHA on 24 November. The QSAR Toolbox is seen as a practical support for preparing registration dossiers but cannot replace proficient judgement.

ECHA has launched the first steps of a graduate scheme. One aim of the program is to help young graduates find employment as regulatory scientists and regulatory professionals in the field of chemicals. ECHA's goal is also to improve the pool of suitable staff for working at the Agency.

The ECHA Management Board met on 15 and 16 December and agreed on the final budget of the Agency for 2012. The Board also made adjustments to the Work Programme adopted in September 2011 and discussed strategic issues, such as the future challenges of the Agency, the multi-annual IT planning and the planning in relation to substances on a nano-scale. Moreover the Board made the first step for establishing an Ethical Committee to support ECHA in managing potential conflict of interest situations.

ECHA organised the first annual planning meeting for the Directors of Member State Competent Authorities on 14 December. The purpose of the meeting was to plan together the workload for 2012-2015 and discuss ways of improving cooperation. 43 participants from 25 countries took part in the meeting.

ECHA had the pleasure of organising a lively meeting of the Directors of the EU Agencies in Helsinki from 13-14 October 2011.

Evaluation is one of the key processes of REACH. It bridges together the registration of dossiers and the implementation of adequate risk management measures. The evaluation process as such can help registrants in complying with the REACH information requirements.

ECHA launched its new website on 15 December. The new website is the first externally visible element of our revised corporate identity that helps us to better respond to the expectations of our stakeholders in all of our activities.

ECHA invited its Accredited Stakeholder Organisations to Brussels for a strategic level discussion on future priorities and ways of working together. Participants in this new discussion forum represented a number of crucial sectors: industry, science, NGOs and social partners.

As the International Year of Chemistry 2011 drew to a close, ECHA Newsletter spoke to its most important ambassadors: the grand-daughter of Marie Skłodowska Curie, Professor Hélène Langevin-Joliot, and Professor Nicole Moreau, the President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) - the organisation which launched this initiative.

The granddaughter of Marie Skłodowska Curie, Professor Hélène Langevin-Joliot, who is a nuclear physicist and director of research emeritus of the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, addressed ECHA on the occasion of the official inauguration of its Marie Skłodowska Curie Conference Centre:

ECHA's scientist Kaihsu Tai participated in a team of young leaders addressing megatrends for the next four decades using chemistry. In Brussels on 1 December, the team presented their vision for 2050 at the Closing Ceremony of the International Year of Chemistry, in front of an 800-strong audience featuring chemical industry CEOs, a Belgian prince and a Nobel laureate. Here are his reflections from the team's work.