REACH came into force on 1 June 2008. No chemical substance can now be manufactured, imported or used in the EU, and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, above one tonne per year per company, without being first registered with the new EU Chemicals Agency (ECHA), with some exemptions. This article discusses some of the current topical issues, including first-hand experience of REACH, registration and development of the respective dossiers, exchange of confidential information and competition law issues, new developments on REACH authorisation, and the current status of national enforcement.

This article is part of the PLC multi-jurisdictional guide to environment. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/environmenthandbook.