Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Aligning Chemical Classification, Labeling Is Goal of EU Delegates in Transatlantic Talks

This news update discussing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is brought to you by Bloomberg BNA.

 

 

U.S. and European authorities may never be able to reconcile their regulatory schemes for chemicals and cosmetics, but they could cooperate more closely in a number of ways, including how they classify and label chemicals, according to two position papers published by the European Commission May 14.

 

The papers, which the commission said it published in the interest of transparency, noted that there is little scope for significantly harmonizing the regulatory regimes on either side of the Atlantic, but that the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) offers opportunities for sharing of information, scientific cooperation and mutual consultation at early stages in regulatory processes.

 

On chemicals, the commission said there is “great potential” for the EU and U.S. to align their substance classification and labeling regimes with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.

 

The EU has implemented GHS through its 2008 CLP Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on the classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures). The commission paper said that in the U.S., only the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has implemented GHS for chemicals used in the workplace, and there is scope for GHS implementation in other areas of U.S. chemicals regulation.

 

 

To learn more about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, please visit the Bloomberg BNA link above. Please contact Nexreg for our GHS MSDS Services.