Australia and European Union Cooperate on Industrial Chemicals Safety
The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Australian and European Union’s chemical safety agencies will enhance the safe and sustainable use of industrial chemicals in Australia, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, said 23 May.
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23 May 2011
The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Australian and European Union’s chemical safety agencies will enhance the safe and sustainable use of industrial chemicals in Australia, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King, said today.
Ms King said the signing of an MoU between the Australian Government’s National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) reflects the shared commitment of Australia and the European Union to industrial chemical safety.
“The ECHA plays a similar role in the European Union as Australia’s NICNAS and both agencies have worked together successfully in the past,” Ms King said.
“The MoU will consolidate and focus the relationship for the future to promote the safe use of industrial chemicals for humans and the environment.”
The Memorandum will facilitate technical cooperation, encourage harmonisation to reduce duplication, and support the sharing of experience about operations, regulatory capacities and the dissemination of information.
Ms King said the signing of the Memorandum in Helsinki by the Director of NICNAS, Marion Healy, and the Executive Director of ECHA, Geert Dancet, was an excellent demonstration of Australia’s connectedness with global best practice in the regulation of industrial chemicals.
ECHA's media release on the signing of the MoU, including a link to the MoU, is available at http://echa.europa.eu/news/pr/201105/pr_11_12_mou_autralia_en.asp
For more information, contact Parliamentary Secretary's Office 02 6277 4230
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