Efforts by Brussels to dilute the bloc’s chemical laws are undermining the EU’s credibility as a “global leader in green policy and the rule of law,” a top U.N. human rights official has warned in a letter shared with POLITICO.
“Simplicity and efficiency should not come at the expense of retrogressive measures or the health of the population, especially those that are the most vulnerable to toxics and pollution such as children,” writes U.N. Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights Marcos Orellana.
The source of Orellana’s concern is a European Commission proposal, published in the summer, to simplify a set of EU laws spanning cosmetics, fertilizer and chemical classification regulations in a “chemicals omnibus” bill.
The aim of the bill is to create a “more predictable and less burdensome regulatory landscape” — part of the EU’s broader simplification drive to help Europe’s businesses and boost its economy.
