On 1 June 2021, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued a Five-year Report on the operations of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction (REACH) and Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) – ECHA’s two central tools for managing the safety of chemicals in the European Union. The report assesses the impact of REACH and CLP by using data available to ECHA over the 2016-2020 period and looks into what needs to change to make these two regulations more effective. Amongst others, the report highlights that synergies between REACH and CLP shall be improved to reach the ‘one substance, one assessment’ ambition. 

In its report, ECHA highlights five clusters: 

• Health and Safety for Workers: the self-classification of substances conducted by companies increases transparency of internal information and helps companies in improving safety. 
  

• Health and Safety for Consumers: the obligation of clarity in label packaging improved communication with consumers, but further efforts are needed to fully implement the Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC).
  

• Environmental Protection: regulations have strengthened the restrictions on the control of authorized substances but the limitation of available data has slowed the process.
  

• Functioning of the Internal Market: the functioning improved thanks to the actions taken by companies in participating in joint submissions for the same substance.
  

• Innovation and competitiveness: the notification of Product or Process Oriented Research and Development (PPORD) increased by 35% since 2018 and the number of new substances registered increased overall since the entry into operation of REACH. 
  

• Promotion of alternative methods of animal testing: this is achieved through effective implementation of REACH, making information available on alternatives and contributing to international activities.
  

You can read the report here. 

On 27 May 2021, the ENVI committee hosted a public hearing on the new EU strategy to reduce methane emissions. Experts, members of the European Parliament, and Commissioners discussed measuring and reducing methane emissions in the waste, energy, and agriculture sector. 

As indicated in the draft report, the new legislation will tackle the following points: 

• Importance of EU Action across the supply chain
• Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV)
• Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR)
• Performance Standards, Benchmarks and Emission Limits
• Abandoned and Unused Oil and Gas Wells
• International Action
• Abandoned and Unused Coal Mines

During this public hearing, emphasis was placed on the progress made in the waste management sector, i.e. through the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD).  

A proposal to set a price on methane emissions has also been made. This strategy is already in place for carbon dioxide emissions with carbon pricing: this market-based approach aims at reducing CO2 emissions by putting a price on tons of carbon dioxide for industry and consumers. As a result, effective methane pricing could lower the cost and increase the economic efficiency of reducing emissions. 

“Methane is a much higher global warming potential but live less long in the atmosphere than CO2. Actions we take today has a rapid impact on climate change. […] I would like also to cite the work of the UN environmental programme and the global methane assessment which estimates that achieving a 40 to 45% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 could slow the rate of global warming by 30% by 2040.” 

 – Kitti Nyitrai,
Head of Unit Decarbonisation and sustainability of energy sources  at the European Commission
Source: https://bit.ly/2SeKrd8 

During the meeting, Professor Myles Allen from the University of Oxford’s Net Zero unit emphasized the misunderstanding of the consequences of methane. According to him, the climate impact caused by methane emissions mainly depends on warming, not “CO2-equivalent emission”. He also mentioned that the EU should set a separate, ambitious – yet realistic – target to reduce biogenic methane emission. 

On 14 October 2020, the European Commission launched the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions. It aims to achieve the 2050 EU climate-neutral goal by improving methane measurement and reporting. This strategy encourages the use of tools, such as satellite data sharing and biogas industry opportunities. This public hearing highlighted the new strategy, you can read more about it here. 

On 25 May 2021, the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER), the European University Association (EUA) and Science Europe released a joint statement supporting Open Science and Open Access. These associations demand less restrictions from scholarly publishers to facilitate the dissemination of scientific research findings. In this joint statement, CESAER, EUA and Science Europe ask for more flexibility, transparency and modernity from publishers.  

Later on, science leaders gathered at the International Conference on Research Infrastructure (ICRI) on 3 June, to discuss infrastructures’ open science programmes and their engagement in responding to climate change and sustainable economic development. 

“I think that research infrastructures and open science policy are probably the two most powerful instruments to really bind scientists” 

– Jean-Eric Paquet,
European Commission’s directorate general for research and innovation
Source: https://bit.ly/3x4XKvp 

The framework of international governance was considered by the different parties represented, taking G7 as an example to build an international structure.  

Read more about the global science cooperation here.       

The European Chemical Society (EuChemS) is actively contributing to Open Access through its dedicated Task Group and by contributing to Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) initiatives as an observer member. EuChemS is also a member of the high-level expert group Open Science Policy Platform (OSPP), an expert group that advises the Europe Commission on how to further develop and practically implement open science policy, in line with the priority of Commissioner Moedas to improve the quality and impact of European science.    

No EU-Switzerland deal for Horizon Europe?

On 26 May 2021, the Federal Council of Switzerland decided to terminate the negotiations of the EU-Swiss Institutional Framework Agreement, hence freezing bilateral cooperation between the EU and Switzerland. Chairman Roger Nordmann referred to this day as “Black Wednesday” and the European Commission “regrets this decision, given the progress that has been made over the last years”. 

As a consequence, Swiss researchers might not be eligible to apply for Horizon Europe projects as Switzerland faces potential exclusion from Horizon Europe. Discussions are still ongoing concerning the associate status for Switzerland to join Horizon Europe, despite the fact that it was already an associated country under H2020.   

On 17 May, Swiss Universities expressed their concern in a statement. As they stated, such a political decision may affect the subsidy process and the Swiss access to the Horizon Europe associate status.  

Transatlantic partnership between the EU and the private sector

In the meantime, Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst programme partners up with the European Commission and sets up a €820 million to €1 billion fundraising objective to be invested in the clean energy sector. 

This new partnership will result in a demonstration project – for which half of the financing will be covered by both Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund – aiming at setting an example and encouraging private investment (from the private sector) in sustainable energy technologies such as green hydrogen or optimised energy storage. 

It is expected to generate a much-needed boost in green investment over the five upcoming years and help the EU reach its Green Deal’ decarbonisation 2030 deadline.

Learn more about the new (transatlantic) partnership here. 

We are pleased to invite you on Wednesday 23 June, from 15:00 to 16:30 CEST to the 2019 EuChemS Lecture Awardee Webinar. During this online event, David Portehault will give a talk on “From water to molten salts: geoinspired syntheses and reactivity of nanomaterials“.   

Registration link ➡️ HERE
Please note that online registration is compulsory to attend this event. 

In recognition of the major achievements of one junior scientist working in chemistry in a country with a EuChemS Member Organisation, David Portehault will be awarded the EuChemS Lecture Award in 2019. 

Floris Rutjes, EuChemS President, will welcome all and introduce the awardee. In addition, two students under the supervision of David Portehault will give a short presentation on their research: Yan Song will discuss “Design of metal silicide nanoparticles in molten salts for electrocatalytic water oxidation” and Fernando Igoa will address the topic of “The soft chemistry of extended covalent systems towards boron-based nanomaterials”. 

The detailed programme for this webinar is available here.