On December 16, 2013 a group of non-governmental organizations led by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) addressed the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) executive director Geert Dancet in a critical letter. In the letter, the NGOs state that ECHA is failing authorizations of substances of very high concern (SVHC). The points raised include the establishment of a standard review period for SVHC substances, the lack of an established review procedure of authorizations, restricted observer participation during authorization discussions at ECHA, ECHA’s full acceptance of confidentiality claims and finally, the inadequate quality of applications of authorization accepted by ECHA. According to the NGOs, the REACH authorization process for SVHC substances is thus undermined. In an article published by Chemical Watch, ECHA responded that current processes were in compliance with REACH and that the recently started authorization process will continue being improved in cooperation with NGOs. The agency stated that it will respond to the letter in detail in early 2014.
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