The European Chemicals Agency, abbreviated as ECHA, located in Helsinki, is the European Union (EU) regulatory body dedicated to manage and coordinate the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction processes of chemical substances under the REACH Regulation. Its mission is also to ensure a consistent implementation at EU level and provide Member States and the European institutions with the best possible scientific advice on questions related to the safety and the socio-economic aspects of the use of chemicals.
The European Chemicals Agency comprises:
- a Management Board, responsible for adopting the financial planning, work programme and annual reporting, an Executive Director and a Secretariat;
- a Member State Committee to resolve differences of opinion on draft decisions proposed by the Agency or Member States and make proposals for identification of substances of very high concern;
- a Risk Assessment Committee to prepare opinions on evaluation, on applications for authorisation, on proposals for restrictions and on classification and labelling;
- a Committee for Socio-economic Analysis;
- a Forum on enforcement matters to coordinate a network of Member States' competent authorities responsible for enforcement;
- a Board of Appeal to decide on appeals against decisions taken by the Agency.