Dr Sharon McGuinness: “ECHA is now truly a chemicals agency, not just the REACH one”

ECHA’s Executive Director spoke about the Agency’s achievements and current priorities in her first annual hearing at the European Parliament’s ENVI committee on 29 November. 

Helsinki, 30 November 2023 - Dr McGuinness highlighted how ECHA’s mandate is expanding and how the Agency can assist policy makers with its technical and scientific output for different areas. For the future, grouping of substances remains essential.

“With the ever increasing need to address the challenges of climate, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution, we really have no longer the time to deal with individual substances one by one. By grouping, we also prevent the prospect of regrettable substitution,” she said.

The exchange of views with MEPs focused on several areas, including ECHA’s need for a basic regulation to provide a stronger governance for the sustainable functioning of its scientific committees as well as funding for its current and expanding tasks.