The SynCom project group 'ModHaz', consisting of scientific representatives from the participating Helmholtz Centres UFZ, RIFS/GFZ, and Hereon, organized a stakeholder synthesis workshop with the support of SynCom on March 12th and 13th, 2024 in the Magnushaus of the German Physical Society (DPG) in Berlin. 37 stakeholders from companies, business associations and industry, research, NGOs as well as legislation and regulation discussed various aspects of new methodological approaches in chemical assessment, so-called NAMs (New Approach Methodologies).
The synthesis workshop marked the conclusion of a series of four stakeholder-specific workshops in which the participants discussed their common, but also sometimes contradictory, assessments of the current EU chemicals policy and expectations for shaping the future of European chemicals regulation.
The discussion of the synthesis workshop took place in the plenary session and within World Café working groups. It was structured along the following two narratives that the project group for this workshop had developed from the previous online workshops:
i) Rapidly growing production of chemicals, associated pollution of the environment, and its impact on human health, calls for appropriate measures within the framework of a scientifically based method under the premise of the precautionary principle.
ii) Strong focus in legislation on hazard assessment, risk of bans on safe applications, greater consideration of risk assessment, and the preservation of the diversity of substances to ensure competitiveness.
During the course of the event, differences and similarities between the two narratives were discussed. The results will contribute to several scientific publications, the further development of a policy brief and a roadmap for chemical assessment, which will be presented to representatives of the German Bundestag during a parliamentary evening in November 2024.