Kristin SCHREIBER

Policy topics Kristin SCHREIBER is active on

What Kristin SCHREIBER has said (6)

• 2025-04-24 “And then we are counting on also, of course, PD from the parliaments that we can actually still adopt, hopefully this restriction uh, by the end of this year, which I think is really a major breakthrough. And then we have, um, what is called the universal PFAS restriction. So we have five national authorities which have submitted a very, very broad PFAS restriction dossier to the European Chemicals Agency. And here's the objective is to restrict PFAS as a chemical group. And this restriction covers about 10,000 substances and almost all users with very, very few exceptions. So we are, of course, from the Commission following extremely closely the ongoing assessment which is carried out by Echa scientific committees rucksack. We look at all the interventions from stakeholders, but we'll have to wait for the final Echa opinion because we need this evidence based dossier before the Commission can can act and take a decision. And so this long running decision making process is obviously creating us at the same time, uh, some uh, some investment uncertainty, uh, and concern about, uh, PFAS pollution, especially from, uh, emanating from consumer products. And in order to respond to these, I mean, very important signals we get from stakeholders, because that's obviously very much in the public debate. We are trying to already actively communicate our general line on this issue. But of course, we cannot yet formally take a decision. I would like to recall that Vice President Séjourné and Commissioner Roswell had given their views during the hearings in the European Parliament last November, with our overall objective to tackle peaceful solution and protect citizens health and the environment.”
  Chemicals regulation · PFAs
• 2025-04-24 “Yes, thank you very much and I think you covered most issues. Indeed, we are very we are completely committed to put forward the proposal for the Reach revision by the end of this year. I think what is also important and what several of you hinted, hinted at that in this context, we will also look how can we make sure that we do not get into a situation like the one we have here with this universal press restriction, which takes far too long for everyone? I fully understand that you are getting impatient. We are also getting impatient. But we have. As Veronica myself, we explained the the procedures for the scientific committees to respect. And one of the one of the issues here is also better upfront discussion. What is what is involved also, I mean, we have to involve the issues linked to health and safety at work. And I think what was pointed out by several parliamentarians, the the issues of local permitting, and that there is better interaction with all the. With all the different is not only the universal restrictions, there are many other. Aspects National limit values. And we have to make sure that we have a better, uh. Discussion up front and with hindsight, probably with the universal PFAS restriction. It might have been better to actually come rather with 2 or 3 restrictions than by. Having the universal one, which then basically, of course, from a scientific point of view.”
  Chemicals regulation
• 2025-04-24 “Yes, thank you very much. I would just like to come back. I think we. I heard all the different questions and the and of course, the, the, the. The big worries about about the existing pollution. I would like to. Come back in order to have a proper regulation of PE because we need to. Have this risk based approach. Um, and I would also like to stress, for instance, if you take the Teflon frying pans, you don't run any risk if you use the Teflon frying pans. The problem is then when they when the waste is discarded and we and and and the the emissions at that at that moment. So we are obviously focusing on waste but it's not I mean anybody who has a smartphone there is PFAS in there. And you're not you're not running a risk from the PFAS in the smartphone because it's encapsulated in the smartphone. Um, if you have if you have a medical device in you there at the moment, there is no replacement possibility for for PFAS for certain seals. But that doesn't mean that you run a risk from that. So I think we also have to put things in that perspective, which doesn't mean that the PFAS issue is not a major one, and we have to tackle the issue of emissions and waste.”
  Circular economy · PFAs
• 2025-04-24 “So we when we have alternatives, and as I've said beforehand, we don't want regrettable substitution either. We have to make sure that the alternatives are actually are actually have the same functionality and also have a better environmental impact. So all this to say that, I mean, we we hear you very, very strongly. We are accelerating our, our our process. As I as I explained, we are we are already preparing. We are following very closely the, the the the scientific opinions which echoes about to to draft. But we cannot act beforehand because otherwise we would not do evidence based, uh, evidence based, uh, take evidence of the decisions. But of course we are already laying the ground and in order to be ready very, very quickly to take this very important decisions. But I would just like to stress also that we want to make sure that we cover both what is produced in the EU and what is what is imported from from outside the EU. And this I think is also very, very important aspect. And I'm confident that we will provide this clarity to you as soon as possible. And we are working as much as as you on this on this issue. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation · Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• 2025-04-24 “But I would just like to just wanted to put put this aspect, this aspect as as an answer to some of the some of the questions raised. One other point I wanted to make is we are in addition to our legislative work, we are, of course, strongly supporting research on substitution and alternatives. I said I would like to come back on the fire foam example, because I think this is a really good example where we will have a major impact because we have substitution possible. And I think nobody would have expected some time ago that you could actually replace PFAS and fire foam, even for very for oil fires, for, for fires on ships. So I think this is really a major, major breakthrough which will have an important environmental impact. But of course, when you look at alternatives, you also have to look whether the alternatives are any better from the environmental point of view, because the very reason why PFAS is used very often is because, for instance, in medical devices, it has these these capacities to be very, very resistant and persistent, which is exactly what is problematic when you look at at its impact in the environment.”
  Chemicals regulation · PFAs
• 2025-04-24 “While indeed providing this investment, I would say security and predictability, and therefore we have already clearly said that our general line is that we think we will we are likely to restrict PFAS in most consumer uses like cosmetics, food, contact materials, outdoor clothing and many other areas. However, where alternatives are not available, we will also have to support the continuous use of PFAS in industrial applications and particularly very critical ones, but I would like to stress under very strict conditions. And we from that point of view, we welcome very much the statement which Echa and the five national authorities have made at the end of last year, where they have basically sketched out with the different approaches, a ban for many consumer uses, uh, transitional periods and restriction where alternatives are available, but also alternative restriction options for those cases where a continued use of PFAS would be necessary in an industrial context, and where a ban would have disproportionate, disproportionate socio economic impacts and where risk management measures can be had. So I hope what we would like to pass in terms of message, that we are acutely aware of the of the issues posed by posed by PFAS. Uh, we are eagerly awaiting the opinion of the scientific committees in from Echa. And we are, of course, already preparing the ground for, uh, then the work on a well-balanced restriction proposal. Once we do get the opinions from Echa. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation · PFAs