Non-EU European countries

Many European countries that are not members of the EU are strongly influenced by EU activities, particularly if they trade extensively with the EU (see below).

Apart from the impacts of the EU, the focus of chemicals management in this region tends to be the establishment and implementation of global or regional chemicals initiatives.

One particular feature of the European region is the role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in the negotiation of environmental agreements, including the UNECE POPs protocol and the Aarhus convention on public participation.

Impact of the European Union on other European countries

The European Union has considerable influence on the countries around it, in particular:

Countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) are bound by EU product regulations like REACH - this applies to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Switzerland is developing closer integration with the EU with the EU governing many aspects of product regulation.
Throughout its history the EU has been gradually expanding, and discussions are ongoing with current candidate countries - Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey. Other European and former Eastern block countries may soon start talks on closer integration with the EU.
Companies which export to the EU must follow EU regulations.

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