English - Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production

40 | III. REPORT ON ACTIVITIES 2009 ANNUAL REPORT CP/RAC 2009er on this matter. In order to reach this goal, theCentre worked on the definition of the contents ofthe study and on the selection of experts, anddesigned a study to reunite all the available informationon mercury in different countries. The studywas to NFP and the chemical contacts of the centre.MEDPOL also requested information on countriesto avoid duplicating efforts.2.10. Regional Seminar on the presentationand implementation of REACHREACH is the new EU regulation on chemical substancesand their safe use. It is important that thecompanies in the EU involved in exportation areconscious of this regulation to augment their competitivenessand maintain their market share.This activity is aimed at the presentation of theREACH system to those countries of the MAP thatare not members of the EU. An initial contact wasmade in 2009 with Tunisia, Turkey and Egyptthrough the NFP and the networks of Mediterraneanindustrial associations UCME- Business-Med and the Mediterranean Association ofChambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME),with the NGO Mediterranean Information Officefor Environmental Culture and Sustainable Development(MIO-ECSDE), who expressed their interest informing part of the project.The objective was to organise a seminar in eachof the countries interested in the REACH regulations.The seminars organised were:—Tunisia, 1 st of October—Egypt, 20 th of October—Turkey, 11 th NovemberThe seminars united the Public Administration, thePrivate Sector and the Chambers of Commerce ofeach country.In October and November Egyptian, Tunisian andTurkish companies received information on theapplication of the European REACH regulationsThe first seminar that dealt with this matter washeld on the 1 st October and was repeated in Cairo19 days later, and in Turkey on the 11 th November.The objective of these seminars was to show tothe Administration of the country, the Chambersof Commerce and business associations, and alsodirectly to companies, the challenges and opportunitiesthe REACH regulations offer to their companies,and especially in commerce with theEuropean Union. The seminars were practical innature and showed the various aspects of the regulations.In order to achieve a more technical character, theRAC/CP counts on the participation of an expertassessor in REACH with experience in this applica-