| Summary: |
This news release from the law firm of Mayer Brown alerts to proposed legislation in France which would regulate the manufacture, import, and marketing of nanoparticle substances. Such legislation would be the first of its kind in the EU. The first section of the Grenelle project, an environmental reform project launched in 2007, declares that within two years of its passage, nanoparticle substances will be subject to mandatory reporting. The second proposed Grenelle section requires manufacturers, importers, and marketers of nanoparticle substances to make safety information publicly available and provide all known hazard and exposure data to the authorities upon request. This document also describes EU-level calls for protective legislation, including reviews of all EU legislation by the end of 2009 according to the no data, no market principle. Both EU-level and French legislative efforts are guided by the EU's precautionary principle for potential adverse effects to safety. However, it is unknown whether France's proposed legislation will be successful if it runs afoul of the EU's common market law, which prevents EU member legislation from inhibiting the functioning of the EU common market. |