ABSTRACT
DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES are 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 cover, inter alia, asbestos, glues, paints, pesticides and solvents. The production and distribution of pharmaceuticals are 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 is a programme, originally launched in 1997, but extended to cover the years 2000-04, which supports projects by nongovernmental organizations to combat violence against women, young people and children, especially in the areas of trafficking in women and the sexual exploitation of children.
