The report, 'Toxic Lobby: How the chemicals industry is trying
to killREACH', describes how, in an attempt to cripple the proposed
reform ofEU chemicals law (REACH), the chemicals industry has
scared and misleddecision-makers by denying the problems of
chemical contamination,creating fear over job losses and economic
costs, obstructinginnovation, and co-opting small and medium
enterprises to theirdisadvantage.
A day after the European Commission launched a new initiative
tocontrol excessive lobby influence in Brussels, the Greenpeace
reportdocuments the prominent role of the German government and
Germanchemicals giant BASF in leading the opposition to REACH in
Brussels.BASF, which spearheaded an international campaign to
mobilise the USand other non-EU governments to undermine REACH,
admitted in 2005 thatit had 235 politicians under contract in
Germany alone.
"Lack of accountability and transparency in Brussels
decision-makingcomes at the cost of public interest legislation,"
said Jorgo Riss,director of Greenpeace European Unit. "The
chemicals industry'scorrosive campaign to destroy REACH thus far
has depended on thewillingness of key officials to abandon their
role as public servantsand behave like industry lobbyists."
The report compares the projected costs of REACH (0.2 billion
euro peryear) with chemicals industry annual sales (586 billion
euro, or 2,790times as much as REACH would cost). It exposes the
hypocrisy of thechemicals lobby: while the industry was arguing in
Brussels that itcould not afford safety regulations on cost
grounds, BASF sales rose14% to 47.2 billion euro, and its net
income rose 50% to 3 billioneuro.
Nadia Haiama, Greenpeace EU policy director on chemicals, said:
"Thedrip-drip influence of the chemicals lobby has led to a
wholesaledilution of what started out as a promising effort to
improve humanhealth. Unless this toxic influence is reversed, REACH
will allow thecontinued use of hazardous chemicals that can cause
cancer andreproductive illnesses, even where safer alternatives are
available."[1] [2]
Other contacts: Nadia Haiama, Greenpeace European Unit policy director, chemicals, tel +32 (0)274 1913/ +32 (0)476 961376 (PT, FR, EN, ES)Jorgo Riss, Greenpeace European Unit director, tel +32 (0)2 274 1907 (DE, EN, FR)Katharine Mill, Greenpeace European Unit media officer, tel +32 (0)2 274 1903/+32 (0)496 156 229 (EN, FR)
Notes: Toxic Lobby: How the chemicals industry is trying to kill REACH is available for download at http://www.greenpeace.org/toxiclobby[1] See report: Fatal Flaws - Effect thresholds and "adequate control" of risks: the fatal flaws in the Council position on Authorisation within REACH http://www.greenpeace.org/fatalflawsbrief[2] See report: Fragile – Our reproductive health and chemical exposure: a review of the evidence for links between declines in human reproductive health and our exposure to hazardous chemicals http://www.greenpeace.org/fragile