Date: 5 May 2008

Venue: Brdo Congress Centre, Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia

Attendance: 100 participants. By invitation only.

This one-day meeting represents the last joint meeting of the bodies competent for implementing the new chemicals legislation, i.e. REACH. Regular meetings addressing relevant administrative issues on the implementation of legislation are traditionally organised in the presiding country. A special landmark regarding these regular meetings is this year's 1 July, when the provisions of the new REACH (Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) chemicals legislation will enter into force in their entirety. The last meeting, to be organised in Slovenia, will thus mark the end of an era and the transposition of all obligations into the new REACH Regulation, which will occur shortly before the day when the European Chemicals Agency, with its seat in Helsinki, becomes fully operative.

The meeting will primarily centre on discussion on the implementation of the new REACH chemicals legislation. It will be attended by representatives of the EU Member States and observer states, as well as representatives of the newly founded European Chemicals Agency, non-governmental organisations and European industrial associations.