In an article published on January 23, 2019 by the news provider Chemical Watch, correspondent Clelia Oziel informed about ongoing budget uncertainty at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) concerning their planned database on substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in products. The agency published a cost estimate for creation of a limited, prototype version of the database that will be developed using the agency’s own funds. However, the article explains that “[a] sustainable financing structure for the new tasks ‘still has to be found’”. Talks between ECHA and the European Commission regarding financing for the database are ongoing. Once the prototype is designed using the funds that have already been set aside, ECHA plans to use the prototype to “test what could become the final target service and to learn from the interaction with stakeholders.” The final database is required to be released by January 5, 2020, however a lack of a funding structure could “risk a delay in its development and implementation.”
Plans for the database were first announced by ECHA in July 2018 (FPF reported). Since then, it has been the topic of ongoing discussions including criticism from industry trade associations (FPF reported) and support from consumer organizations and other non-governmental organizations, which expect this database to help strengthen the communication on SVHCs (FPF reported), provided that the requirements for detailed data are upheld (FPF reported). The database is set to contain information from companies that produce, import, or supply articles that contain SVHCs. Data would need to be submitted to the database for products placed on the market from January 5, 2021.
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Chemical Watch (January 23, 2019). “Echa reveals ‘limited’ database for SVHCs in articles after funding rebuff.”
ECHA (December 14, 2018). “Specific financing decision for the development of a prototype Waste Framework Directive (WFD) database service.”
