Richard MEADS 
 Business Decisions Limited, Cardiff, UK

 

 

How the impact of unintended consequences

interferes with the proper distribution of risk and benefits in European Environmental legislation

 

Abstract

The European environmental and health regulatory process is about the ethical challenge of apportioning harms and benefits in European society as the regulator responds to public concerns. The benefits relate to reduced health and environmental damage from dangerous chemicals. The harms relate to the socio-economic impacts of proposed legislation. The presentation seeks to review the proposed chemicals legislation for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) and to examine some of the unintended consequences which have not been considered in the drafting of the legislation and hence not considered in the apportionment of harms and benefits. These include instances where substances that were intended for regulation are included and where the impacts on third countries have not been considered. Special reference will be made to the global unintended effects and a review of recent EU, Australian, and South African Studies of REACH and its potential impact on minerals and metals.

 

The author´s address:

Richard Meads, Director, Business Decisions Limited, Cardiff, UNITED KINGDOM

e-mail: richard.meads@bdl-europe.com

 

Mr. Meads has undertaken significant work in the area of socio-economic impact analysis and the impact of regulations on companies. Mr. Meads is also the rapporteur for The European Policy Centre Risk Forum and has co-authored a number of important influential reports on cost benefit analysis, regulatory impact assessment, risk management and the Precautionary Principle. Mr Meads has also carried out a number of confidential client studies assessing regulatory risks in the energy, chemicals, food and drink, and medical devices industries. Before joining BDL, Mr. Meads spent twelve years working for British Petroleum in Finance and Marketing. He is a graduate of Oxford University in the UK and is also a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

 

A panel discussion will be joint also by Mr. Johan Arkestijn, Consulting Analyst, BHP Billiton International Services, Verheeskade 25, The Hague, 2521 BE, The Netherlands; e-mail: jarkest@tiscali.nl; and by

Mrs. Laura Asbjornsen, Consultant, The Weinberg Group (www.weinberggroup.com),
Boulevard du Souverain 360, Box 5, Brussels, B - 1060, Belgium;
e-mail:laura.asbjornsen@weinberggroup.com