From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Mon Sep 25 2006 - 13:52:48 EDT
----- Original Message ----- From: Minona Heaviland Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:28 PM Subject: Two New Studies on EU Chemicals Policy from GDAE GDAE Studies Examine Effects of the EU's New Chemicals Policy on U.S. Exporters and Developing Countries Two new studies conducted by Frank Ackerman, Rachel Massey, Liz Stanton, and others at GDAE provide a bottom-up recalculation of the expected costs of the European Union's proposed new chemicals policy, and examine its effects on U.S. exporters and on developing countries. The EU's new policy, REACH: Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals, will make manufacturers and importers responsible for registering and testing any chemicals that they sell in Europe. REACH has been the subject of extensive controversy - including a focus on its potential costs. The GDAE analyses find that the costs of REACH are affordable and unlikely to harm industry, while other researchers have suggested that the health and environmental benefits of REACH will be substantial. European Chemical Policy and the United States: The Impacts of REACH by Frank Ackerman, Liz Stanton, and Rachel Massey; GDAE Working Paper 06-06. September, 2006. Download from the web at: <http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/wp/06-06USREACH.pdf> Under REACH, chemicals produced elsewhere, such as in the United States, and exported to Europe will have to meet the same standards as chemicals produced within the European Union. What is at stake for the U.S. is substantial: we estimate that chemical exports to Europe that are subject to REACH amount to about $14 billion per year, and are directly and indirectly responsible for 54,000 jobs. Revenues and employment of this magnitude dwarf the costs of compliance with REACH, which will amount to no more than $14 million per year. Even if, as the U.S. chemicals industry has argued, REACH is a needless mistake, it will be far more profitable to pay the modest compliance costs than to lose access to the enormous European market. Implications of REACH for the Developing Countries by Frank Ackerman (principal author), Liz Stanton, Rachel Massey, Brian Roach, and others; report from the International Chemical Secretariat (Chemsec) to the European Parliament. March, 2006. Also translated in French. Download from the web at: <http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/rp/Implications_of_REACH.pdf> REACH has caused considerable unease among developing countries on account of the burden that it may impose on them in terms of their market access to the EU. The study explains the functioning of REACH and examines the socio-economic impact on the developing countries with special focus on the ACP States, in particular on South Africa, Mozambique, Jamaica, Ghana, and Tanzania. It investigates possible changes in the patterns of competitiveness and trade flows. Particular emphasis is placed upon the role of multinationals compared to local producers. Furthermore, the study highlights the macroeconomic impact of REACH as far as employment and government revenue are concerned. It also examines the cost and benefit of REACH for the ACP States. Further GDAE Research on REACH: GDAE researchers have also examined the effects of REACH on French industry, produced a guide to assist smaller companies in understanding the implications of REACH, and written several op-eds and working papers discussing the impacts of REACH. <http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/policy_research/EuropeanChemicals.htm>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Sep 30 2006 - 00:00:06 EDT