Companies now have until 1 August to submit data to Russia’s national inventory of chemicals. The country’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg) has officially extended the deadline due to the impact of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter to industry dated 24 April, Minpromtorg said that the measure was taken to support an industry facing difficulties with remote working and changes to the supply chain.
It is the second time the ministry has pushed back the deadline – earlier this year it was extended from the initial 1 January date to 1 May.
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia – are all expected to create inventories as part of national registers of substances and mixtures. These will feed into the Eurasian technical regulation on the safety of chemical products – also known as TR EAEU 041/2017 and Eurasia-REACH.
The Eurasian Economic Commission, the EAEU’s executive arm, will eventually merge all data collected from member states into one common inventory for the entire region.
Compilation of inventory data has started before the implementation of secondary legislation under the technical regulation. EAEU members are yet to agree on three areas:
- a list of chemicals that are restricted and banned;
- a position on the grounds for refusing state registration of chemicals; and
- rules for completing chemical safety reports.
It is not known when talks will resume, but the technical regulation is expected to enter into force on 2 June next year.
Under the regulation, companies will see a phased-in approach to registration according to the annual tonnage band. It is not clear if the proposed deadlines set by the draft second tier legislation for substances will also be extended. The earliest is for chemicals produced in the >1,000 tonnes per year band on 2 June 2021.
Pandemic impact
Covid-19 has shaken operations in the chemicals industry, forcing many entities to adapt and navigate supply chain issues. Questions are also being asked about impending EU regulatory deadlines.
Earlier this month, industry representatives said regulations addressing pollution and the control of chemicals in products are "ramping up, not slowing down" during the pandemic.
And in a recent interview with Chemical Watch, Echa head Bjorn Hansen said it is "business as usual with some adjustments" for the agency.
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