EN    EN  
 EUROPEAN  
COMMISSION 
Brussels, XXX   
[…](2014) XXX  draft 
  
COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No …/.. 
of XXX  
amending Annex XVII to Reg ulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council on the Registration, E valuation, Authorisation  and Restriction of 
Chemicals (REACH) as regards benzene  
(Text with EEA relevance) 
 EN 2   EN COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) yyyy/n  
of XXX  
amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC)  No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council concerning the Regist ration, Evaluation, Authorisation and 
Restriction of Chemicals (R EACH) as regards benzene 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Re gistration, Evaluation, Authorisation and 
Restriction of Chemicals (REA CH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending 
Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Counc il Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission 
Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Coun cil Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission 
Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/ EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC
1, and in particular 
Article 131 thereof, 
Whereas:  (1) Paragraph 3 of entry 5 of Annex XVII to  Regulation (EC) No  1907/2006 prohibits the 
placing on the market or use of benzene as a substance or as a constituent of other 
substances, or in mixtures, in concentrations  equal to or greater than 0,1 % by weight.  
(2) A risk assessment carried out in 2013 by the Dutch Rijksinstituut voor 
Volksgezondheid en Milieu (National Institute  for Public Health and the Environment) 
concluded that natural gas th at is placed on the market for use by consumers and has a 
limit for benzene above 0,1 % by weight, but below 0,1 % by volume, does not pose an unacceptable health risk. 
(3) The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency 
(ECHA) confirmed in its report of 28 N ovember 2014 that consumer exposure to 
benzene concentrations in natural gas above 0,1 % by weight, but below 0,1 % by 
volume, did not pose a risk to the health of consumers that is not adequately controlled.  
(4) The high cost of reducing the concentration of benzene in natural gas to below 0,1 % 
by weight is disproportionate  and unnecessary for the pur poses of risk management. 
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 should therefor e be amended to allow for the placing 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1. EN 3   EN on the market and the use of natural gas with a concentration of benzene below 0,1 % 
by volume. 
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulati on are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Committee established by Article 1 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 is amended in accordance with the Annex to 
this Regulation. 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of  the European Union . 
This Regulation shall be binding in  its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
 For the Commission 
 The President