CHEMICALS : INDUSTRY CALLS FOR SCIENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING.

Three chemical companies - Albemarle, Cheltura and ICL-IP - which make up REACHforLiFe, have appealed for the EU legislator to give more credit to science, particularly when the results of scientific evaluations are positive. REACHforLife, which believes that the role of science in developing legislation on chemical products in Europe is at risk, has launched an awareness campaign in the sector to put pressure on political decision makers to take greater account of scientific opinions. Launched in September 2008, this campaign will continue with the organisation of round tables - the first of which should be held in Brussels at the end of February (date to be confirmed) - bringing together representatives from industry, the academic world and NGOs, to debate the role of scientific evaluations in the decision making process.

REACHforLife intends to launch the debate around three main issues. The first aims to specify the role of...