Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-11-Speech-1-088"
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"en.20061211.14.1-088"2
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"Mr President, the vote on Thursday is the end of a long process with important contributions from many quarters. I think that we should pay attention to Commissioner Wallström, who put forward the proposal, and to her democratic innovation involving major consultation through the Internet, which did an incredible amount to improve the REACH proposal itself. We must pay attention to those Members who have spent many nights labouring over this matter and with whom we have had some tough discussions: Mr Langen in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy; the rapporteur, Mr Nassauer; and a number of others, particularly the main rapporteur, Mr Sacconi, and the Commissioners – both Mr Verheugen and Mr Dimas – who have done a lot of work to prepare this proposal for voting on.
Nonetheless, I stand here with very mixed feelings. If I had to summarise the way I feel, I would say I felt proud but dissatisfied, to use an expression that has been current in Sweden for the last few years. For my part, I am proud to have had a part in this work in my capacity as rapporteur for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, when I took three themes as my starting point. Firstly, the environmental aspects of the proposal need to be enhanced, especially when it comes to substitution. Secondly, the proposal needs to be clarified. There were an incredible number of ambiguities and instances of overlapping with other legislation, and we have now removed ‘paper and pulp’ and ‘minerals and ores’, these being important areas that do not, however, belong in this proposal. We have also simplified REACH – a move that has been very advantageous to small companies. I believe that the ‘one substance, one registration’ proposal will be very significant in the future.
My point of departure was, then, that enhancement, clarification and simplification were good for European industry, European consumers and European citizens. I believe that the quest for a strong policy that takes account of both the market and the environment is a very important success factor.
I am disappointed on three counts. Firstly, I think that we could have taken the opportunity to have given consumers clearer information and, in that way, met increasing environmental and consumer demands. It would have been possible, as we had done the job and assumed the costs. The compromise before us is not as advantageous as it might have been, and that, I think, is very sad. I should like to know how the Commission and the Council are to respond to the demand for a 0.1% limit. Is it the car that is to be regarded as being in some degree dangerous, or the dangerous component in the car that is to be regarded as being to some extent dangerous? It is important to clarify these matters. The demand for substitution is a further issue. Why could we not have gone a step further when it comes to what we call CMR substances, which cause cancer, are mutagenic and affect reproduction? My third question concerns duty of care. This has existed in European law on damages since Roman times and is not by any means an innovation. I think it would have been helpful to have had duty of care not merely explained as a principle in the recitals, but incorporated into the legislative text. Unfortunately, we have not brought these matters to a conclusion. I have a fourth issue to raise, namely that it is important for the developing countries now to be given the opportunity to use this information, so that no obstacle to trade is created.
To summarise, then: I am proud but dissatisfied. The main job is still to be done and, to quote something said by an American a couple of weeks ago: ‘We did not cross the Rubicon in order to sit there fishing’. Ladies and gentlemen, the real work starts after the vote."@en1
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