EU Member States participate in our Scientific Committees, the Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement as well as our networks and thereby exercise important functions of mutual benefit to the Agency and to their own application of the EU chemicals legislation. With the UK withdrawal, British participation will come to an end.

Our Management Board is composed of one representative from each EU Member State, nominated by the member state and appointed by the Council. Up to six other members are appointed by the European Commission. This establishes an automatic link between EU membership and participating in the deliberations of our Management Board.

Each EU Member State directly appoints one member to our Member State Committee (MSC).

Each EU Member State also nominates candidates to the membership of the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the Socio-economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) for the appointment of a maximum of two such nominated candidates for their role and experience in the respective fields.

Each EU Member State is entitled to appoint a member of the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) and may also appoint an alternate member.

Each EU Member State directly appoints one member of the Forum for the Exchange of Information on Enforcement.

The United Kingdom will need to withdraw their appointed members from these bodies by 30 March 2019, and the appointing authorities will also withdraw the members nominated by the United Kingdom from the respective bodies of our Agency with the same effect.

Whenever one of our Scientific Committees is to provide an opinion or is to determine if a dossier put forward by a Member State for inclusion in the REACH Candidate List or for a REACH restriction, it shall appoint one of its members as a rapporteur. Consequently, it will happen that a British rapporteur is equipped with a mandate still pending at the time of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal. Our Committees will already in advance appoint an alternate to take over the dossier from the departing British member or expert. We will publish a list of such rapporteur mandates at a later date.

We also manage two specialised networks of representatives from each EU and EEA member state: the Security Officers’ Network (SON) responsible for supervising the secure links of member states to our databases and the network of correspondents from national BPR, CLP and REACH helpdesks (HelpNet).

Upon losing its status of EU Member State with the date of its withdrawal, the United Kingdom will cease to be part of these networks. On substance, participation in these networks would anyhow become immaterial as the United Kingdom will no longer have access to our databases or participate in our regulatory, enforcement coordination or other processes. The United Kingdom will also no longer have a legal obligation to maintain a national helpdesk to provide UK-based companies with advice and assistance in fulfilling their obligations under the EU chemicals legislation.