Together with the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA, Helsinki / Finland; www.echa.europa.eu) is taking steps to alleviate some of the most pressing problems facing chemicals-related sectors as the coronavirus pandemic progresses. To help companies occupied with other problems, executive director Bjorn Hansen said the agency will ease the burden on chemical producers to meet deadlines for compliance with REACH.

Further details are to be provided shortly, but generally speaking, ECHA said deadlines for certain processes will be handled flexibly during the crisis, as well as payment of invoices. Companies will also receive a two-month extension of compliance requirements for certain REACH deadlines falling between now and the end of May 2020. This will apply where producers have not been able to complete the registration process for chemicals and were granted a final deadline between March and May 2020 as well as for requests for further information related to confidentiality claims.

ECHA also will allow a 30-day extension of the deadline for companies to comment on its draft decisions in cases where a registration has been judged as not complying with legal requirements. Throughout the pandemic, it added, duty holders will also be informed directly through the agency’s IT systems.

For issues on the shop floor, ECHA is cooperating with the EU commission in helping member states secure supplies of much needed disinfectant products as inventories of isopropanol, 1-propanol and ethanol continue to shrink.

Due to the current situation, the agency has decided to hold its “Safer Chemicals” conference, originally set to take place on 2-3 June 2020 in Helsinki, as an online conference on 2 June 2020. Participation in the digital format of the event is free of charge.

Plasteurope.com has created a list for cancelled and postponed trade fairs, conventions and conferences that is updated daily: www.pieweb.com/corona-events-listing