1. 1 European Commission The role of regional networks in the EU policy making process Disclaimer: This e-mail contains the personal opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission. OPEN DAYS – European Week of Regions and Cities Brussels 11 October 2006 Dr. Doris Thiemann, European Commission

2. 2 European chemicals policy as an example REACH A system for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, called REACH Aiming at a high level of chemicals safety and a competitive chemicals industry Based on a review of the present EU legislative framework for chemical substances Dialogue with stakeholders Following the principles of Better Regulation Evolves along the different stages of the adoption process (co-decision procedure)

3. 3 REACH -Background and timeline Feb 2001 White Paper published May 2003 Internet consultation Aug/Sep 2003 Proposal amended 29. 10. 2003 Draft regulation adopted by Commission 17. 11. 2005Parliament Opinion in First Reading 27.06.2006Common Position adopted by Council 12. 07.2006Commission communication on Common Position to Parliament Sep - Dec 2006Second Reading in Parliament End of 2006Adoption of REACH?

4. 4 REACH and Better Regulation Public consultation May 2003: Internet consultation 6000 + comments received Extended Impact Assessment Strategic Partnerships: Pilot trials of REACH Avoiding unnecessary administrative burden by testing the workability of the proposal « Less red tape / more growth »

5. 5 Stakeholders Commission ENTR ENV JRC Industry Chemical Industry Downstream users Producers of articles SMEs Retailers Member States NGOs Environmental Animal welfare ETUC Consumer associations Chemical Regions

6. 6 Regional networks contribution to the policy making process Direct Participation to public consultation process Submitting position papers – e.g. Joint Declarations of ECRN Presidium, Milan Declaration of 3rd Congress of Chemical Regions Invitations to General Assemblies / conferences – Annual Congress of Chemical Regions Meetings with Commission representatives – Regional Partnership meetings and ECRN Work meetings Informal networking Indirect Committee of the Regions – 3 communications on REACH (Braghin, Sears) Strategic Partnerships and Expert Groups – SPORT and SHERPER

7. 7 SPORT – a case study example of interaction with ECRN 3 Commission services (ENTR, ENV, JRC), 3 Commission services (ENTR, ENV, JRC), 4 industry coalition partners (Cefic, UNICE, UEAPME, DUCC), 4 industry coalition partners (Cefic, UNICE, UEAPME, DUCC), 9 Member States (AT, DE, FI, FR, IT, NL, SE, SK, UK) and 9 Member States (AT, DE, FI, FR, IT, NL, SE, SK, UK) and 5 Observers (ETUC, EEB, WWF, Greenpeace, ECRN) 5 Observers (ETUC, EEB, WWF, Greenpeace, ECRN) SPORT stands for Strategic Partnership on REACH testing and is a partnership between: The project was proposed by Cefic and conducted between September 2004 and June 2005.

8. 8 Commissions attitude to the lobbying process Open – Transparent – Fair Permanent dialogue with Stakeholders Stakeholders team in the REACH unit Proactive Public consultation SMEs Welcomes contributions As early as possible Relevant to the subject Concrete

9. 9 Conclusion Lobbying approach : ECRN is a European stakeholder for regional issues of the chemical industry Tailor made lobbying: Resources Timeline Type of contribution Position paper, detailed amendments, technical expertise Lobbying strategy: Right message - Right moment - Right contact