ECHA Announces New Policy for SME Administrative Charges in Joint Authorisation Applications

On 23 July 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that it has adopted a new policy on administrative charges for joint authorisation applications involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This update, which has been confirmed by the European Commission, simplifies the charging process for companies with an incorrectly declared size.

Single Charge for Joint SME Applications

Under the new policy, ECHA will now issue only one administrative charge for joint authorisation applications, even if several applicants have wrongly declared their company size. The charge will be based on the size of the largest applicant in the group. The invoice will be sent to the lead applicant. If all applicants have declared their company sizes correctly, no administrative charge will be applied.

Updated Definition of Financial Gain

The definition of ‘financial gain’ has been revised to include the benefit of incorrect size declarations made before the invoice is issued. This change will ensure that the lower charges SMEs might gain as a result of incorrect declarations are properly reflected in the administrative charges.

Charge Levels Remain Unchanged

The levels of administrative charges and other provisions remain the same as previously set. The updated decision, which applies from 22 July 2024, consolidates and simplifies past regulations into a single framework. The fee structure last revised in 2015 will continue to apply.

Background on SME Fees

The REACH Regulation and the REACH Fee Regulation authorise ECHA to levy charges for administrative and technical services. The updated policy integrates previous decisions from 2010, 2013 and 2015 into a single approach and streamlines the fee process for joint authorisation applications involving SMEs.