Chemicals

  • EU is a world leader
  • €519 billion EU sales
  • 44.8€ billion of trade surplus
  • 1.4 million of employees
​EU is encouraging innovation, investments, research and decides regulation for the chemical industry and chemical products. ECHA is the european Agency for chemicals. Read more ......

Legislative Activity

Check the work of the relevant Committees of the European Parliament, the EU legislation, watch the streaming of the meetings...

Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, Restriction of Chemicals

REACH is a Regulation of the European Union on chemicals. Before producing or import a chemical substance or a compound into EU, check if you are exempted or if you have an obligation to register it.

​Classification, Labelling and Packaging

​CLP​ is the European Regulation on classification, labelling and Packaging of dangerous mixtures and substances. It entered into force on 20 January 2009.

Good Laboratory Practice

GLP is the European standards for Good Laboratory Practice for testings. The principles of GLP promote the quality and validity of data generated in the testing of chemicals and prevent fraudulent practices.

Poison Centres

Poison centres in the EU answer at least 600,000 calls per year from the general public or physicians (about 1,700 calls per day). Roughly half of the cases are related to accidental exposure involving children. It's estimated that the number of fatalities in the EU related to poisoning from hazardous chemicals is at least 400 per year. ​

EPAA - Alternative Approaches to the Animal Testing

EPAA aims to replace animal testing by innovative, non-animal testing methods, to reduce the number of animals used and to refine procedures where no alternatives exist or are not sufficient to ensure the safety of substances (the '3R principle'). The partners are pooling knowledge and resources to accelerate the development, validation and acceptance of alternative approaches at national, European and global levels.

Specific Chemicals

Pesticides

Pesticides are used to prevent, destroy, or control a harmful organism ('pest') or disease, or protects plants or plant products during production, storage and transport. See the EU regulation on the authorised pesticides.

Fertilisers

So-called 'EC fertilisers' are regulated by Regulation No 2003/2003 (modified in 2014) on mineral fertilisers and may circulate within the EU. “National fertilisers” are currently not harmonised at EU level and are governed by national laws, although mutual recognition applies.

Detergents

The first EU Directive on Detergents entered into force on 22 November 1973. The current EU legislation on detergents entered into force on 30 March 2012.

Explosives

Commercial explosives are essential for quarrying, mining, and infrastructure construction. The EU set up rules in order to meet safety requirements.

Pyrotechnic articles

Pyrotechnic articles are mainly used in automotive restraint systems (airbags and seat belt tensioners) and fireworks.

Drug precursors

Drug precursors are chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, or methamphetamines. However, many of these chemicals have primarily large and varied legitimate uses, for example in the production of plastics, medicinal products, cosmetics, perfumes, detergents, and aromas. Check the EU rules.

Construction Products

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) lays down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU. The Regulation provides a common technical language to assess the performance of construction products.