Fake it ´till you make it:

Regulatory control of chemical risks in reach

Over the last century, countries of the Western world have transformed into ‘chemical societies’ . And they will pay the price for a long time to come: The overshot planetary boundary for “novel entities” (i.e. man-made substances) illustrates how the chemical pollution crisis creates a societal task just as big and demanding as the climate and biodiversity crises. Based on research published in The Lancet, the World Bank reports that in 2019 exposure to lead alone caused the premature deaths of more than 5.5 million people globally. At the same time, massive amounts of human biomonitoring data on harmful chemicals in the European population show that our bodies are dangerously polluted, and European citizens are deeply concerned about the impact substances present in everyday products can have on their health and the environment. This lecture will take a close look at the EU industrial chemicals regulation REACH – the bloc’s regulatory response to chemical risks and threats. Attendees will gain insights into the key mechanisms of REACH, the chances they create and implementation shortcomings.

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Speakers

Martin Führ

He is a Professor of Public Law, Legal Theory and Comparative Law at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da); where he heads the interdisciplinary research group sofia and the Master's programme "Risk Assessment and Sustainability Management" (RASUM). From 2008 to 2015, he was a member of the Management Board of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Helsinki.

Julian Schenten

He is a Senior Law and Policy Advisor of the Emissions Reduction team at ClientEarth, working on harmful chemicals. He focuses on advocacy, targeted at the improvement and reform of the EU chemicals regulation REACH. Tackling chemicals in product legislation, e.g. in connection with ecodesign, is another of Julian's topics. Julian also provides legal expertise to EDC Free Europe, a coalition of NGOs working for the appropriate control of endocrine disruptors.

Environmental Law Lecture Series

This lecture is part of the Environmental Law Lecture Series: Strengthening EU Environmental Law, Legal Perspectives on Greening Europe series. This series provides a set of important insights from environmental law scholars on how EU environmental law helps to achieve the aim of a high level of environmental protection in the European Union and across the world.

With the European Green Deal from 11 December 2019 the European Commission tabled an ambitious legislative program, based on fundamental aims such as zero pollution, do no harm, and climate neutrality. Many legal developments took place and are still ongoing, both at the European and national regulatory levels as in the courtroom, including the national courts. While efforts to protect the environment are direly needed, including effective implementation and enforcement, the regulatory acquis, and the flow of case law, has become utterly complex which poses challenges for acquiring a good understanding and application.

This freely accessible online (and hybrid) lecture series provides students and scholars with core insights into the state of affairs and further improvement of EU environmental law. The lecture series will run in 2023 and 2024. All lectures will be recorded and will be made accessible through our YouTube channel.