European Environment Bureau

European Environment Bureau, European Federation for Transport Environment, Seas at Risk, The Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain, Environmental NGO Recommendation on COM (002) 595 as Regards the Sulphur Content of Marine Fuels, 5 February 2003, http //www.eeb.org/ activities/air/Joint position paper S marine fuels Sept 03.pdf. 

The European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances (EUSES) [8] is the software provided by European Chemical Bureau (ECB) to implement the EU Technical Guidance Documents on Risk Assessment for new notified substances, existing substances, and biocides [3]. The development of EUSES 2.1 was commissioned by the European Commission to the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) of the Netherlands. The work was supervised by an EU working group comprised of representatives of the JRC-European Chemicals Bureau, EU Member States, and the European chemical industry. 

The following must be emphasised in particular involvement in the accompanying group of the Environment Ministry and participation in enquiries, conferences and specialised debates on the economic effects of the EU Commission s proposal for reform of European chemicals pohcy at the DG Enterprise on 21.5.02 subjects at the VCl events on 16.4.02 and 13.11.02 the UBA speciahsed debate on 6.2.03 and the BDl specialised debate on 20.2.03 as well as the European Environmental Bureau s (EEB) conferences in Copenhagen on 27/28.9.02 and in Brussels on 31.1/1.2.03. 

IHCP has established hve scientihc units, one of these being the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB). The ECB is the focal point for collecting information on new and existing chemicals (ECB 2006). Main partners of the ECB are the authorities of the EU Member States and Norway, Commission services such as DG Environment and DG Enterprise, the chemical industry, and NGOs. 

EU (2002a) Technical notes for guidance Human exposure to biocidal products—Guidance on exposure estimation. Ispra, European Union, European Chemicals Bureau, Directorate-General Environment, June (B4-3040/2000/291079/MAR/E2 http //ecb.jrc.it/biocides/). 

All interviewees confirm that EU bureaucrats - in particular representatives of DG Sanco, DG Enterprise, DG environment and the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) - usually participated in meetings. The Chair noted that these receivers occasionally disagreed with the committee s advice, to which he responded that we are an independent group and that they would just have to agree to disagree. None of the interviewees thought that there was ever any direct pressure from the Commission, or any other actors within the EU institutions, to influence SCHER s opinions. 

Environment Institute, Joint Research Centre - European Commission, European Chemicals Bureau, EUSES, European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances, EUR 17308, Ispra (Varese), Italy, 1997. 

Worth AP, Bassan A, de Braijn J, Gallegos Saliner A, Netzeva TI, Patlewicz G, Pavan M, Tsakovska I, Eisenreich S. The role of the European Chemicals Bureau in promoting the regulatory use of (Q)SAR methods. SAR QSAR Environ Res 2007 18 111-25. 

French Ministry of the Environment, French Ministry of Health and F. M. o. Work (2003) Risk Assessment of 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic Acid, Di-C8-10-Branched Alkyl Esters C9-Rich, and Di-Isononyl Phthalate (DINP). European Chemicals Bureau, Is-pra, Italy... 

The diversity and complexity of the available approaches has identified the major difficulties associated with producing suitable guidelines that would allow comparisons between different laboratories and different countries in assessing metal mobility in the soil environment. This led to the development of single and sequential extraction procedures by the Standards, Materials and Testing (SM T - formerly the (European) Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) Programme of the European Union (1987)). Single extractants evaluated included 0.05 moll-1 EDTA, 0.43 moll-1 acetic acid, and 1 moll-1 ammonium acetate at pH 7. 

European Union Directives require the evaluation and control of the risks to the environment and/or public health of both existing and new chemicals. The European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) located in Ispra, Italy provides technical support for the development of EU chemicals policy and its website34 provides information on both existing and new chemicals. The Existing Substances Regulation35 provides for the evaluation and control of risks posed by existing chemicals in four steps ... 

ECB 2004. European Chemicals Bureau. 2004. Unofficial Version of Annex I of the Directive on Dangerous Substances 67/548/EEC List of Harmonised Classifications and Labellings for Substances or Groups of Substances, (http //ec.europa.eu/environment/dansub/consolidated en.htm — accessed February 13,2007). 

Directorates-General Environment and Enterprise, and the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), 2003. Joint Views Concerning the Work of the Working Groups on Classification and Labelling. Brussels, September 5. 

In order to eliminate disputes arising from doubtful measurements, the Commission of the European Communities established the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) about 25 years ago to encourage and support technical collaboration between the laboratories of EC Member States. In this way, the Community helped laboratories in the Member States to provide accurate and reliable measurements in those sectors which are vital to the Community as a whole trade, agriculture, food, industrial products, environment, health and consumer protection [4]. 

Quality control is of the utmost importance in the case of mineral analyses because of the low concentrations of the elements normally found in foods and the ubiquitous presence of significant levels of many of them in the environment. In addition to the standard techniques of working in a clean laboratory to reduce the potential for accidental contamination to a minimum, it is essential that procedures be validated and results checked against appropriate certified reference materials (CRMs). CRMs for most of the trace and other minerals of interest in foods are available from international reference centers such as the Community Bureau of Reference of the European Union, the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the United States, and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. 

Because the chlorine industry has a tradition of mutual cooperation in matters of safety and the environment, the process of improvement was soon taken to international level. In Europe the Bureau International Technique du Chlore (BIT) was established in 1954 and in 1989 renamed as Euro Chlor. 1991 Euro Chlor was expanded to combine various chlorine-related associations for derivatives, solvents and paraffins and today is an affiliate of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). In the USA, work coordinated by the Chlorine Institute and the Chlorine Chemistry Council. 

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