ABSTRACT
DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES were the subject of several European Communities (EC) directives regulating the classification, use, labelling and marketing of many products deemed to be potentially dangerous. These directives covered, inter alia, asbestos, glues, paints, pesticides and solvents. The production and distribution of pharmaceuticals were also controlled by EC directives. Nuclear-related matters have been handled by the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) and the Joint Research Centre. In 1981 the EC adopted a scheme for the rapid exchange of information between the appropriate national authorities about accidents and risks to health and safety that arise from the use of potentially dangerous products, and a system of monitoring accidents caused by consumer goods was subsequently introduced. (See also Consumer policy.)
DAPHNE was a programme, originally launched in 1997 but extended under Daphne II to cover the years 2000-04, that supported projects by non-governmental organizations to combat violence against women, young people and children, especially in the areas of trafficking in women and the sexual exploitation of children. Daphne III ran from 2007 until 2013, with a budget of €116.9m. In November 2011 the European Commission adopted a proposal for the establishment of a new Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme for 2014-20 which supersedes the Fundamental Rights and Justice programme, Daphne III and the parts of the PROGRESS programme dedicated to non-discrimination and diversity and gender equality.
