03/04/2009
The European Parliament's environment committee adopted on 31 March a report by Swedish Green MEP Carl Schlyter which calls for tighter controls on nanotechnology, including the application of the 'no data, no market' principle contained in the REACH Directive.

The own-initiative, non-binding report calls for products containing nanotechnology which are already on the market to be withdrawn until safety assessments can be made.

The European Environmental Bureau, a network of environmental NGOs, hailed the report as a significant victory in the ongoing debate on how to legislate for fast-moving developments in nanoscience.

Schlyter said the report, which was adopted on March 31 by 21 votes to 14, had not been easy to negotiate, as political groups had been changing their position throughout the process.

"It's difficult to find a line where we can get support, because the issue is still so new," he told the committee ahead of the vote.

The committee's decision comes in the wake of last week's vote on the Novel Food Regulation, when MEPs voted for definition, labelling and specific risk assessments for nano-containing foods.

Source: Euractiv