I suppose there are more than a few out there who are not familiar with REACH. Those of us in the States are a bit confused about the implications on trade and the possibility that the US EPA will attempt to adopt and promulgate the same sort of regulation. REACH has formally begun, as of June 1, 2007.
From the EU Parliament website-
Parliament adopted the compromise it negotiated with Council on the new regulation for chemicals, REACH, which will oblige producers to register all those chemical substances produced or imported above a total quantity of 1 tonne per year. Registration will affect about 30,000 substances. For more hazardous substances, producers will have to submit a substitution plan to replace them with safer alternatives.
When no alternative exists, producers will have to present a research plan aimed at finding one.
Hold the bus!! “Where no alternative exists, producers will have to present a research plan aimed at finding one.” Hopefully, there are provisions for reactive precursors or intermediates.
Reactive chemicals are useful chemicals. Synthesis chemistry is about the management of reactivity. Differential reactivity gives selectivity. Chemical manufacturing is all about selectivity.
What if you need a ton of butyllithium or triphosgene or PCl3? Hopefully there is language that provides for manufacturing non-commodity, specialty chemicals with reagents that are highly reactive.
It will be interesting to watch the unintended consequences pop out of the ground on this program. The business of testing may end up being more profitable than specialty chemical manufacturing. The bedrock of western economics is manufacturing. I hope the EU doesn’t chase away to much of its manufacturing base.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
“The Regulation also calls for the progressive substitution of the most dangerous chemicals when suitable alternatives…”
That worked for Space Scuttle external fuel tank foam blowing agents, Space Scuttle SSB segment sealing putty, Space Scuttle insulating tiles… The average git lacks unlimtied budget and do-overs. If some of us are to drink pristine water then most of us must drink recycled sewage.
Goodbye bisphenol-A! Substitute something made from… corn. Archer-Daniels-Midland maize pimps will be so pleased! Congresscritters thereafter, too.
In the fragrance industry there is pandemonium with REACH since some ingredients are made/imported in the hundreds to thousands metric tonnes range. Now, these are not not really dangerous, per se, but the cost of toilet bowl freshener is going to go up!
I am still not convinced that REACH is the answer to the publics desire to feel safe from nasty chemicals. I think better storage, disposal and reclamation is.