MLA Partners to Chair REACH Conference in Brussels

April 26, 2005

Within REACH

A Major One-Day Conference on EU Chemicals Policy
April 26, 2005
Renaissance Hotel Brussels

Partners Ursula Schliessner and Koen Van Maldegem will be conference Chairpersons at the Within REACH Conference at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel on April 26. McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP is the official Knowledge Partner for the conference. The Keynote Speech will be given by Stavros Dimas , European Environment Commissioner.

Within REACH brings together all the key REACH stakeholders to discuss how to resolve the remaining sticking points before the new policy can be implemented and communicated effectively throughout the supply chain to the end-users and consumers.

Conference Background

The European Commission proposal for REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), adopted in October 2003, is currently under examination by the European Parliament. Speaking at a public hearing at the Parliament on 19 January 2005, Commissioners Günter Verheugen and Stavros Dimas underlined the Commission's commitment to helping to find a balanced solution to the main issues still to be resolved.

Chemical, plastics and rubber are among the largest industrial sectors in Europe. Together they generate about 3.2 million jobs in more than 60,000 companies. Since the beginning of the decade the European chemical sector alone has represented two-thirds of the entire manufacturing trade surplus of the EU. The chemical sector also accounts for 12% of the EU manufacturing industry's added value. European companies produce 31% of the world's chemicals. The stakes have never been greater in terms of cost, investment, competitive advantage and employment. Estimates for implementing REACH range from €4 billion for the EU-25 (Dutch Presidency workshop, November 2004) to €8 billion (industry) over the next 11 years.

For more information or to register, please visit the Within REACH website at: http://www.european-voice.com/ev/info.asp?id=1069 .