Diplomats at the World Trade Organisation's goods council have attacked the European Union over its plans to integrate titanium dioxide and cobalt into its health and safety laws, claiming this could impose unnecessary restrictions on exporting certain stainless steels to the EU.
The European Parliament is considering regulating these steel inputs under its classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) regulation. The proposals have already received support from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers.Representatives of the United States, Russia, Mexico and Australia spoke at a WTO goods council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, arguing that the CLP regulation "is more trade-restrictive than necessary...