Extended impact assessment on the REACH proposal

Further work on impact assessment of REACH

Two further impact assessment studies on REACH have been carried out under the Memorandum of Understanding [27 KB] between the European Commission and UNICE/CEFIC of March 2004. The basis of this further work has been the Commission's REACH proposal of October 2003. These studies were reported to the REACH High Level Group on 27 April 2005.

Commission Press Release on Further Work on Impact Assessment, IP/05/495 of 27.4.2005.

Note [22 KB] by DG Enterprise & Industry and DG Environment on Further Work on Impact Assessment of 27.4.2005.

KPMG Study for UNICE/CEFIC Industry Consortium

• Executive summary [690 KB] (April 2005)
• Final report [2 MB] (July 2005)

JRC (IPTS) Study of the impact of REACH on the new Member States

• Executive summary [74 KB] of final report - part I (April 2005)
• Final report [743 KB] - part I (July 2005)
• Final report [413 KB] - part II (including executive summary) (July 2005)

Following a recommendation of the High Level Group on Textiles and Clothing, DG Enterprise and Industry has commissioned a further impact assessment study on REACH in the European textile production:

• Executive summary [57 KB] - 9 June 2005 (presented to and discussed in the High Level Group on Textiles and Clothing meeting of 14 June 2005).
• The final report [874 KB] "Analysis of the potential impacts of REACH on European textile supply chains", 16 December 2005, and the Annexes.

A note [96 KB] on the appraisal of alternative approaches to registration of low-volume substances; this note has been prepared by the Commission services on behalf of the Council Ad hoc Working Party on Chemicals (November 2005).

Under a REACH Technical Assistance contract with DG Enterprise and Industry, RPA consultants have carried in 2006 a number of appraisal exercises. The Common Position on REACH of Council and, in some instances, amendments under discussion in the European Parliament have been taken as a basis for the exercises:

• Technical Assistance for REACH Impact Assessment Updates Report [2 MB] (December 2006)
• Short Erratum [8 KB] (January 2007)

Extended impact assessment (EIA)

As required under the Better Regulation initiative, Commission services have prepared an Extended Impact Assessment SEC(2003)1171/3 [144 KB] of the economic, social and environmental impacts of the Commission's REACH proposal of 29 October 2003. On 21 November 2003, a stakeholder workshop was organised on the EIA of REACH.

Presentations from stakeholder workshop - 21 November 2003

Testing and registration costs of REACH

• DG Enterprise: Evaluation of testing and registration costs [22 KB] of the Commission proposal
• JRC (European Chemical Bureau): The cost-saving potential of QSARs [373 KB]

Impact of REACH on downstream users

• DG Enterprise: Assessing the impact of REACH on downstream users [47 KB]

Innovation effects

• JRC (IPTS): Impact of REACH on innovation [442 KB]

Benefits of REACH

• DG Environment: Environmental and health benefits of REACH proposal [29 KB]

Background documents to extended impact assessment of REACH

In preparing the Extended Impact Assessment, Commission staff has drawn upon a number of additional background documents.

An analysis of the impact of REACH on the chemicals industry and downstream users:

• A Microeconomic Model to Assess the Economic Impacts of the EU's New Chemicals Policy [227 KB] prepared by DG Enterprise (November 2003).

An analysis of the Testing and Registration costs of the Internet Consultation Document by RPA consultants:

• Revised Business Impact Assessment [3 MB] for the Consultation Document (Working Paper 4) prepared by RPA in October 2003 (Project J382/Chemicals)

An analysis of the additional testing needs under REACH:

• Assessment of additional testing needs under REACH [440 KB] : Effects of (Q)SARs, risk based testing, and voluntary industry initiatives prepared by JRC (Institute for Health and Consumer Protection) in September 2003
• Details of alternative testing need - Scenarios no.1 [21 KB] , no.2 [21 KB] & no.3 [21 KB]

Further information on the previous Assessment of the Business Impact of the proposals made in the White Paper.