EC reveals fees and charges for REACH

The European Commission has been urging companies to pre-register at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), as the new legislation, Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) will come into force on June 1, and has now announced the applicable fees and charges.

The regulation requires all chemicals produced or imported into the European Union in quantities of over one metric tonne per year to be registered on a central database at the new ECHA with testing and marketing requirements for firms. The rule will affect around 30,000 chemicals. Although the active ingredient in drugs is not impacted by the REACH's requirements, the component products are (Marketletter June 11, 2007).

The fees and charges will apply with the start of registrations of chemical substances on June 1 (IP/08/564). The basic registration fee will range from 1,600 euros ($2,535) for substances produced in volumes below 10 tonnes, to 31,000 euros for those above 1,000 tonnes. There will be up to 90% discounts for smaller firms and 25% reduction for firms that cooperate together on registrations. The fees payable to the ECHA in Helsinki, Finland, which will manage these operational processes, were approved by the Committee of Member State representatives last December.