Competition & EU regulatory
REACH
The Brussels office is involved in advising and representing its
clients on matters arising under existing EU chemicals legislation,
and is engaged in the emerging new chemicals legislation, known as
REACH. We provide a broad spectrum of REACH-related advice, and
have experience in dealing with the most significant REACH
implementation and compliance issues.
The chemicals practice concentrates in particular on
representing clients in the field of product regulation, advising
them on issues pertaining to the classification, packaging, and
labelling of chemical substances and preparations, including safety
data sheets, marketing, and use restrictions under Directive
76/769, workplace regulations, and product liability related
issues, as well as questions relating to the free movement of goods
and parallel imports.
Our team represent numerous clients in matters involving
chemical specific determinations made by the European Commission’s
Classification and Labelling Working Groups. Members of our group
regularly represent chemical companies before the European
institutions, Members State authorities, Scientific Committees, and
the European courts. They regularly speak at conferences and have
written a number of articles.
Members of our group have experience in areas including the
following:
- Advising industry associations and individual companies on
compliance issues, business strategies and the establishment of
consortia under REACH, the transition of current risk assessment
rules, restriction and authorisation procedures
- REACH compliance reporting: description of REACH in brief as
relevant for company, recommended actions per product, business
unit and legal entity, estimated timeline and cost
- Drafting of REACH clauses for commercial contracts and review
of insurance coverage for REACH
- Assistance with REACH issues in relation to mergers &
acquisitions
- Developing strategies to obtain most preferable status under
REACH
- Advising chemical companies on the classification and labelling
of dangerous substances and dangerous preparations, and
subsequent marketing and use restrictions