▪︎ REACH
REACH Registration Fees: EU Commission Makes Concessions on Applications for SME Recognition
The EU Commission has once again updated the draft regulation on the REACH administration fee after the original draft from February was criticized. The main point of contention was the long lead time required by the ECHA for the application for SME recognition.
SMEs have the advantage
Small and medium-sized enterprises benefit from fee reductions of up to 95% for substance registration if they can provide evidence of their status as an SME in advance. According to the EU Commission’s first draft, companies should apply for this recognition six months before registration. That’s too long, say the companies concerned.
The EU relents
The EU Commission has now backtracked. The updated proposal provides for a time window of two months instead of six. This change means that companies must apply to the ECHA for recognition of their SME status two months before their initial registration of a substance – if they wish to benefit from reduced fees. If the ECHA recognizes the SME status, it remains valid for three years. Two months before the three-year validity period expires, the company must reapply for its status if it has remained unchanged.
At the REACH Committee’s meeting on April 29, discussions covered the changes to the Commission’s proposal, which were first announced in February.
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