In its Report of 4 May 2007 to the Council and the European Parliament, the Commission evaluated, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council3, the use of phosphates in detergents. Following further analysis, it has been concluded that the use of phosphates in consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents should be limited in order to reduce the contribution of phosphates from detergents to eutrophication risks and to reduce the cost of phosphates removal in waste water treatment plants. Those cost savings outweigh the cost of reformulating consumer laundry detergents with alternatives to phosphates.

Efficient alternatives to phosphate-based consumer laundry detergents require small amounts of other phosphorus compounds, namely phosphonates which, if used in increasing quantities, might be of concern for the environment. While it is important to encourage the use of alternative substances with a more favourable environmental profile than phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in the manufacture of consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents, such substances should, under their normal conditions of use, present no risk, or a lower risk, to humans and/or the environment. The REACH4 system should therefore, where appropriate, be used to evaluate such substances.

The interaction between phosphates and other phosphorus compounds requires a careful choice of the scope and level of the limitation on the use of phosphates in consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents. The limitation should apply not only to phosphates, but also to all phosphorus compounds in order to preclude a mere substitution of other phosphorus compounds for phosphates. The limit on phosphorus content should be low enough to effectively prevent the marketing of phosphate-based consumer laundry detergent formulations, while being high enough to allow the minimum quantity of phosphonates required for alternative formulations.

It is currently not appropriate to extend limitations on the use of phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents to industrial and institutional detergents at the level of the Union because suitable technically and economically feasible alternatives to the use of phosphates in those detergents are not yet available. As concerns consumer automatic dishwasher detergents, alternatives are likely to be more widely available in the near future. It is therefore appropriate to provide a restriction on the use of phosphates in those detergents. Such a restriction should apply from a future date by which time alternatives to phosphates are expected to be widely available, in order to stimulate the developments of new products. It is also appropriate to specify a maximum permissible phosphorus content, based on evidence including existing national restrictions for phosphorus in consumer automatic dishwasher detergents. However, it is also necessary to provide that the Commission should, before that restriction becomes applicable throughout the Union, carry out a thorough assessment of the limit value based on the most recent available data and, if justified, present a legislative proposal. That assessment should cover the impact on the environment, industry and consumers of consumer automatic dishwasher detergents with phosphorus levels above and below the limit value set out in Annex VIa and alternatives, taking into account matters including their cost, availability, cleaning efficiency and impact on waste water treatment.

One of the aims of this Regulation is to protect the environment by reducing eutrophication caused by phosphorus in detergents used by consumers. It would therefore not be appropriate to force Member States that already have restrictions concerning phosphorus in consumer automatic dishwasher detergents to adapt those restrictions before the Union restriction becomes applicable. Furthermore, it is desirable that Member States be permitted to phase in the restrictions set out in this Regulation as early as possible.

A definition of ‘cleaning’ should be included in Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 instead of a reference to the relevant ISO standard to facilitate readability, and definitions of ‘consumer laundry detergent’ and ‘consumer automatic dishwasher detergent’ should also be included. Furthermore, it is appropriate to clarify the definition of ‘placing on the market’ and to include a definition of ‘making available on the market’.

In order to provide accurate information within the shortest possible timescale, it is appropriate to modernise the way in which the Commission publishes the lists of competent authorities and approved laboratories.

In order to adapt Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 to scientific and technical progress, to introduce provisions on solvent-based detergents and in order to introduce appropriate individual risk-based concentration limits for fragrance allergens, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amendments to the Annexes to that Regulation that are necessary to meet those objectives. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing-up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.

Member States should lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements of Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 and ensure that they are implemented. Those penalties should be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

It is appropriate to provide for deferred application of the restrictions established in this Regulation so as to allow operators, in particular small and medium–sized enterprises, to reformulate their phosphate–based consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents using alternatives during their usual reformulation cycle in order to minimise the costs thereof.

Since the objectives of this Regulation, namely to reduce the contribution of phosphates from consumer detergents to eutrophication risks, to reduce the costs of phosphates removal in waste water treatment plants and to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market in consumer laundry detergents and consumer automatic dishwasher detergents, cannot be sufficiently achieved by Member States because national measures with different technical specifications cannot ensure a comprehensive improvement in the quality of water crossing national borders, and can therefore be better achieved at the level of the Union, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 should therefore be amended accordingly,