Together with the Detergents (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, this instrument amends Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on detergents to enable its continued operability following the United Kingdom’s (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU).
The aim of the proposals is to ensure that the Secretary of State and the devolved administrations have the full powers currently held by the European Commission and Member States to initiate safeguarding action across the UK in relation to detergents. The Secretary of State and devolved administrations will be able to take urgent, temporary restrictive action in relation to a product through a safeguard clause. Safeguard measures may be taken when an appropriate authority has justifiable grounds for believing that a specific detergent, although complying with the requirements of the Detergents Regulation, constitutes a risk to the safety or health of humans or of animals or a risk to the environment. The appropriate authority is the Secretary of State for England and the UK where the matter is reserved, and the devolved administrations where the matter is devolved such as in areas of environment and public health. The safeguard measures are to be commensurate with the nature of the risk, including restricting the availability of the product or withdrawing it from the market, and may not be imposed for more than ninety days.
Devolved administrations were engaged in the development of the Detergents (Safeguarding) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
