Plans and reports

ECHA plans its activities through three-year multi-annual work programmes (MAWPs) and annual work programmes (WPs). ECHA's general reports provide accounts of the Agency's achievements in a given year.

The MAWP is revised on a rolling, annual basis, with one year added and one dropped for each consecutive planning period covered.

Each year, a new draft MAWP for the next three years is put forward for public consultation in April-May and a final document is then adopted by ECHA's Management Board in June.

The annual WPs contain ECHA's objectives for a given year, which are measured against specific indicators, as well as targets established on an annual basis. By the end of October each year, ECHA's Management Board adopts an annual Agency WP for the next year.

Immediately after the end of each calendar year, the Agency produces a general report for that year, which is adopted by ECHA's Management Board by the end of April.

Specific reporting

The REACH Regulation stipulates that ECHA also produces regular reports focused on specific issues, as described below.

Reports on Evaluation:

In line with Article 54 of the REACH Regulation, by 28 February of each year, ECHA has to publish a report on the progress it has made over the previous calendar year on its obligations in relation to evaluation. ECHA is specifically required to include recommendations to potential registrants to foster improvement in the quality of future registrations, in these reports.

Reports on Animal Testing:

In line with Article 117(3) of the REACH Regulation and in accordance with the objective of promoting non-animal testing methods, ECHA submits a report on ‘the status of implementation and use of non-animal test methods and testing strategies used to generate information on intrinsic properties and for risk assessment to meet the requirements of REACH' to the European Commission, every three years.

ECHA submitted the first report of this kind in June 2011.

Reports on the operation of the REACH Regulation:

In line with Article 117(2) of the REACH Regulation, ECHA submits a report to the European Commission every five years, on the operation of the REACH Regulation itself. The Agency has to include in these reports, ‘information on the joint submission of information in accordance with Article 11 and an overview of the explanations given for submitting information separately'.

ECHA submitted the first report of this kind in June 2011.