A total of 47 experts and senior executives, including the ones from the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the British Chemical Industry Association (CIA) and the TKSD Board of Directors has taken part of highly anticipated high-level roundtable meeting organization entitled Advancing Chemical Compliance: EU REACH & KKDIK Forum at Conrad İstanbul Bosphorous Hotel on 5th and 6th of July of 2023. Deputy Directors General, Heads of the Department and expert officers from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye have participated in the meeting from the government side.
Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Deputy Director General of Environmental Management Recep Akdeniz, Ministry of Trade, International Agreements and EU Deputy Director General Bahar Güçlü, and Product Safety and Inspection Deputy Director General Devran Ayık emphasized the importance of chemicals management in Türkiye and information regarding the harmonization process of EU REACH, has been shared retrospectively by the Ministry of Trade. Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye stated that they are aware of the issues that the chemical industry has experienced at the point reached in the KKDIK process and that they are ready to contribute to any actions that will facilitate the situation.
First session chaired by Secretary General Dr. Derya Erçıkan, July, 5th 2023, Conrad İstanbul Bosphorous
Director General of the European Chemical Industry Council, Marco Mensink stated that despite the 15-years process in EU REACH implementation, the new EU Chemicals Strategy has emerged as REACH 2.0 and that Türkiye can do better than EU REACH in KKDIK implementation. He underlined that during the period of global recession, earthquakes and increased stocks, decreases were experienced in the chemical industry in the USA, EU and China, that we however need to comply with the regulations.
At this meeting, experiences regarding the EU REACH regulation were shared and views were exchanged, especially on data cost and sharing within the scope of KKDIK implementations. It was emphasized that although there is only 6 months left until the registration deadline of 31.12.2023, only 1400 substances have been registered and the effects of many substances still not having a lead registrant on the sector and 17 related sub-sectors.
July, 6th 2023 Conrad İstanbul Bosphorous
Turkish Chemical Manufacturers Association indicated the problems such as low number of registration dossiers, absence of lead registrants of many substances and the inability to sign annual/6-months contracts due to the approaching budgeting months within the scope of compliance with the KKDIK regulation. Cefic and TKSD suggested a slow "transition process" instead of delay/postponement. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change stated that they have taken notes of all these problems, and will take the necessary initiative as soon as possible to evaluate them and determine a roadmap that will eventually not stop the trade.
You can download TCMA Press Bulletin here.
You can download full list of participants here