global environmental legislation guide - National Marine ...

Issues for the recreational marine and superyacht industriesNoise and underwater noise is a topic that keeps being raised by national, European andinternational authorities within current and upcoming legislations and as a subject ofinterest by industry. At the moment the focus is clearly on underwater noise.During the MSFD meetings and meetings regarding data/information exchange betweenmember states and EC, it was noticed that “navigation and/or shipping” automatically istranslated in affecting marine mammals and/or other species, including fish.Further actions:To respond to the noticed approach to “navigation and/or shipping automatically is and orwill be translated in affecting marine mammals and/or other species, including fish” by thenational and or European authorities and Environmental NGO’s we need information, dataand knowledge.“It is difficult to mount a defence without information. If we have to rely on assertion –‘You are noisy’ - and counter assertion – ‘We are not’ - the loudest voice will win, and thereare some loud voices out there. If we have evidence, we can have an informed debate”The European Commission recognised the importance of relevant data and knowledge, andtherefore underwater noise will be in the next FP7 call.Note: In the next edition of the environment guide a complete overview of the progress ofthe eleven descriptors related to the Good Environment Status will be presented. This willbe after the EC meeting in September.9. Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicalsubstances Regulation (REACH)REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substancesRegulation) is a European community regulation on chemicals. The new law came into forceon 1 June 2007.The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environmentthrough the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemicalsubstances. At the same time, innovative capability and competitiveness of the EU chemicalsindustry should be enhanced. The REACH regulation gives greater responsibility to theindustry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on thesubstances. Manufacturers and importers will be required to gather information on theproperties of their chemical substances, which will allow their safe handling, and to registerthe information in a central database run by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) inHelsinki.The agency will act as the central point in the REACH system. It will manage the databasesnecessary to operate the system, co-ordinate the in-depth evaluation of suspiciouschemicals and run a public database in which consumers and professionals can find hazardinformation.20