The authorisation of substances under REACH

The main elements of the REACH regulation (EU Official Journal L396, Vol 49, 30.12.2006) which enters into force on 1 June 2007, are the registration, evaluation, restriction and authorisation of chemical substances.

With the exception of crude oil, which is regarded as a naturally occurring substance, all other petroleum substances will be subject to registration. After a volume band dependent deadline (30 November 2010 for practically all petroleum substances), a registration will be required to manufacture a substance in the EU or to import it from outside the EU, hence the slogan ‘No data, no market!’