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<p>The preparations we made for the possibility of a no deal exit mean that we are
well placed to be ready with our own independent regulatory regime for 1 January 2021.
At the end of the Transition Period the UK will have its own independent chemicals
regulatory framework, UK REACH. We will bring REACH in to UK law and put in place
the systems and capacity to ensure the effective management and control of chemicals
which safeguard human health and the environment and can respond to emerging risks.</p><p>
</p><p>UK REACH will retain the principles and fundamental approach of the EU REACH
system, with its aims of ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the
environment, as well as enhancing innovation and competitiveness. UK REACH maintains
the core principle of EU REACH of “no data no market” to provide assurance that businesses
understand the risks of chemicals they are using, and how to manage those risks, and
to give UK regulators the information they need to manage risks to the environment
and to UK consumers.</p><p> </p><p>We will aim to keep the transition to UK REACH
as simple and straightforward as possible. We are considering a range of measures
to minimise the burdens and costs for businesses.</p><p> </p><p>This includes the
grace period provisions we have out in place to enable industry to comply with UK
REACH through a phased transitional period. Defra's estimates of the costs to industry
broadly align with those identified by industry, and we continue to explore a range
of further steps to minimise the burdens on businesses. As part of that process we
have been undertaking a focused evidence-gathering exercise to better understand costs
and practical options to reduce burdens on industry. This has involved a number of
key stakeholders including businesses of different sizes across the supply chain,
trade associations and NGOs.</p><p> </p><p>We are also looking to reduce the cost
to business, through the ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU for a Free
Trade Agreement. In February, the Government published our approach to negotiating
our future relationship with the EU. That includes a proposal for a chemicals annex
as part of the EU Free Trade Agreement, to facilitate trade and encourage high levels
of protection for the environment and human health. To support businesses to meet
the separate regulatory requirements of the UK and EU markets, we aim to agree data
and information sharing mechanisms with the EU, in line with the relevant provisions
set out in UK and EU regulation and existing third-country mechanisms. On 19 May the
Government published its draft Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) with the
EU text. Negotiations are ongoing and progress will be kept under review.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government published “EU Exit: Long-term economic impacts” in November 2018. This
paper provides estimates of the economic impact of a range of future trading relationships
with the EU. Our commitment to having control of our own laws and on not remaining
within the jurisdiction of the European Courts of Justice (ECJ), means that we are
not seeking associate membership of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and participation
in EU REACH.</p>
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