|
At 02.00 pm today, 14 December 2009, Danish Minister for the Environment, Troels Lund Poulsen, and the Californian environment authorities agreed on an authority collaboration for the chemicals area.
The Minister signed the agreement with his Californian colleague, Linda Adams, and the occasion is being celebrated at an event being hosted by the American ambassador with the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the guest list.
”I am extremely pleased to be able to make this agreement with California; the eight largest economy in the world and the USA’s leading state in the environment area. The fact that California believes it can learn something from us in Denmark is a big acknowledgement of Danish environmental policy,” said environment minister Troels Lund Poulsen (Liberal), and he continued:
”Now Denmark also has direct access to the most up-to-date knowledge and information from the chemicals field in the US. I have every expectation that this will help us be even better at protecting consumers and the public against the undesirable effects of everyday chemicals.”
This is the first time that the Danish Ministry of the Environment has entered into an agreement of this type. One of the objectives is to promote exchange of experience, training, and best available technology in the chemicals field. The Danish and Californian environment agencies will be responsible for practical implementation of the agreement.
”The agreement provides us with a unique opportunity to learn from each other. I know that people in California are very interested in our knowledge about endocrine disruptors and our experience in enforcing regulation and informing about problem substances in consumer products. On the other hand, California has invested huge resources in developing ”green chemicals”, environmental and health assessments of nanomaterials, and developing consumer product registers. This is where we in Denmark can benefit from Californian knowledge and experience,” said Mr. Lund Poulsen. The cooperation agreement is part of the enhanced Danish efforts for the chemicals field with greater focus on endocrine disruptors, combination effects and nanotechnology.
Mr. Lund Poulsen is already used to working with this problem internationally. At the moment he is trying to convince his European colleagues of the necessity for better control of endocrine disruptors and combination effects.
Further information:
Sune Bove, Head of Press, Ministry of the Environment, tel. (+45) 72 54 60 32 / (+45) 25 37 07 71.
Per Nylykke, Head of Section, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, tel. (+45) 72 54 45 97 / (+45) 40 73 43 62.
|