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KIST Europe Hosts the Third “K-REACH & K-BPR Infoday” (2018.03.21)
- Date : 2018-03-23
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International Cooperation Team
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KIST Europe Hosts the Third “K-REACH & K-BPR Infoday”
- Helping German exporters comply with Korean regulations
- Supporting industrial cooperation between Korea and Germany
On March 15, in Bonn, Germany, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)’s European branch, KIST Europe, held its third “K-REACH & K-BPR Infoday” in cooperation with the Korean embassy branch office in Bonn. Participants discussed current events and how European exporters can effectively comply with the soon-to-be-enacted Korean Biocidal Product Regulation (K-BPR), as well as with the soon-to-be-amended Korean Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (K-REACH).
Since 2016, KIST Europe and the Korean embassy’s branch office in Bonn have regularly held these Infodays to explain Korean policies for handling chemical materials and to promote active discussion on potential areas of cooperation between Korea and Europe, including the sharing of chemical material information by Korean and German companies. Eighty people attended the third Infoday event, including 60 staff members from German and European companies.
In the presentation sessions, officials from Korea’s Ministry of Environment explained K-REACH and K-BPR in detail, and KIST Europe suggested how to practically comply with K-REACH, based on its experience from generating research outcomes and responding to company requests. The presenters collected questions and discussion topics from attendees in advance in order to ensure participants a lively debate on a diverse array of topics.
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) gave a presentation on Korea’s investment conditions, and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) introduced programs for facilitating Korea-Germany/EU cooperation. Participating companies appreciated the opportunity to network with Korean officials, and they considered the event very useful in understanding Korean policies for handling chemical materials.
Mr. Keum Chang Rok, consul general of the Korean embassy’s branch office in Bonn, stressed that such regular policy briefing events will greatly increase not only the public trust in Korean policies but also cooperation among different companies in the chemical materials field.
Dr. Junkyung Kim, director of KIST Europe, underscored his organization’s dedication to boosting Korea’s chemical industry via its knowledge on EU-REACH and the Korean chemical materials industry.
As the first Korean institution to successfully register products and materials under the new European Biocidal Products Regulation (E-BPR), KIST Europe acts as a bridgehead by using chemical risk assessment technologies to assist Korean firms in penetrating European markets.