Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LISBON1218
2006-06-21 09:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lisbon
Cable title:  

REACH: PORTUGAL LEANING TOWARDS EUROPEAN COUNCIL'S

Tags:  ETRD BEXP PT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5814
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHLI #1218 1720903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210903Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY LISBON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4897
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS LISBON 001218 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

COMMERCE FOR DON WRIGHT, 4211/MAC/OEU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD BEXP PT
SUBJECT: REACH: PORTUGAL LEANING TOWARDS EUROPEAN COUNCIL'S
POSITION

REF: USDOC 02311

UNCLAS LISBON 001218

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

COMMERCE FOR DON WRIGHT, 4211/MAC/OEU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD BEXP PT
SUBJECT: REACH: PORTUGAL LEANING TOWARDS EUROPEAN COUNCIL'S
POSITION

REF: USDOC 02311


1. Summary: Portugal will lean towards the European
Council,s position during the finalization process of the
Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals
(REACH) legislation rather than towards the European
Parliament,s version which one official described as
"difficult to implement" and "unfriendly to Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs)." With regard to the REACH Implementation
Projects (RIPS),the European Parliament is unlikely to make
these documents available for public comments or revision.
End Summary


2. POL/ECON Officer delivered reftel demarche on June 12 to
Dr. Helena Cristina Horta, MFA Adviser on EU Internal Market,
Scientific, Industrial and Technological Issues. Dr. Horta
indicated that Portugal will lean towards the European
Council's position during the finalization process of the
REACH legislation rather than towards the European
Parliament,s version which she described as "difficult to
implement" and "unfriendly to SMEs."


3. The government is particularly concerned with REACH
legislation's impact on SMEs which account for over 97% of
the country's businesses and employ over 55% of the country's
workforce. Portugal's economy depends heavily on the tile
producing, mining, winery and cork industries which use a
number of the substances on the proposed REACH registration
list. It will be difficult for the manufacturers,
exporters/importers and downstream users to shoulder the
additional costs associated with and the manpower required
for the registering of substances. The government is equally
concerned with the protection of Intellectual Property Rights
and will lobby for more stringent regulation during this
round. According to Horta, Portuguese enterprises have
already expressed their concerns about the protection of
corporate data and the potential for loss or disclosure of
other proprietary information.


4. The government supports the call for more
environmentally-friendly substances. However, it believes
that risks may arise from the use of substitutes and that the
5-year rule proposed by the European Parliament could result
in the banning of selective substances that when used in
smaller quantities are less "dangerous," and when combined
with other substances or chemically processed, can lose their
potentially hazardous qualities. Horta again insisted that
SMEs would be greatly affected by this aspect of the proposal
because the costs associated with substituting or banning
substances could result in expensive upgrades and/or changes
to current manufacturing processes.


5. Regarding the USG,s concerns about provisions addressing
the REACH Implementation Projects (RIPS),Horta doubts that
the documents will be made available for public comments or
revision during the second reading.


Hoffman