Chemical safety in the workplace: An example of better regulation?
07-03-2017
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has vowed to make “Better Regulation” the cornerstone of policymaking in the EU, promising lean and efficient legislation that encourages business activity without compromising on health and environmental priorities.
During this workshop, EurActiv examined how the proposed revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD) lives up to this promise. The CMD is one of the central elements of EU workplace legislation and is of extreme importance to ensure the health and safety of European workers.
However, lengthy and fragmented decision-making processes risk overlooking the latest scientific findings and slow down the implementation of the envisaged measures.
Following a vote in the European Parliament’s Employment Committee in February 2017 and ahead of the vote in Plenary, EURACTIV organised this stakeholder workshop to discuss the way forward on some of the most critical issues currently debated. Questions included:
- How can the policy-making process be better streamlined? How to ensure the latest scientific evidence is taken into account?
- Should the scope of the CMD be extended to substances with a reprotoxic classification?
- How can the EU ensure a more efficient process for future occupational exposure limits to additional substances?
- How to improve cooperation between the different Commission DGs, ECHA and stakeholders?
Supported by:
Location
Euractiv Network Office
Boulevard Charlemagne 1, 1041 Brussels
Google Maps >>
Panellists
Stefan Olsson, Director responsible for Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, DG EMPL
Renate Weber MEP, Vice-Chair EMPL Committee, European Parliament
Esther Lynch, Member of the Management Board, ECHA
Dr. Martin Wieske, WVMetalle
Laurent Vogel, Senior Researcher - Health and Safety, Working Conditions, ETUI
Schedule
12.00 – 12.30 Registration
12.30 – 13.00 Introduction and impulse statements
13.00 – 14.00 Open debate