As EU and US negotiators met in Brussels to discuss the proposed transatlantic trade deal, NGOs accused chemical industry trade bodies of trying to ensure the terms of such a deal would derail efforts to regulate endocrine disrupting chemicals and substitute harmful substances with alternatives (12 March). The NGOs published industry proposals which called for mutual rules on confidential business information; the creation of joint EU-US chemicals-related bodies; and mandatory impact assessments, with a specific focus on trade, for any future regulations. Industry also wants the US and EU to share risk assessment of priority chemicals. The EU has ruled out mutual recognition of risk assessments, but says the US EPA and ECHA could co-operate on prioritising chemicals of concern for both sides (17 March).
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