Press Release 14 May 2008
Helsinki Reach Center

HICCS 2008 - INVITATION TO PRESS CONFERENCE

Helsinki, 14 May - We at the HELSINKI REACH CENTRE (HRC) have the pleasure to invite you to the press conference organised in the context of our first annual Helsinki International Congress on Chemical Safety – HICCS2008, which is taking place on the 20th – 22nd May 2008 in the Helsinki Fair Centre.

The press conference will be held during the lunch break of the first Congress day, i.e. on the 20th May at 12.00, in the room 216 on the 2nd floor in the Helsinki Fair Centre. The speakers present at the press conference are Mr Geert Dancet, the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA); Mr Hannu Vornamo, President of the HELSINKI REACH CENTRE; and Mr Jukka Malm, Chairman of the ECHA Management Board.

On the eve of the pre-registration period under REACH which will start on the 1st June the press conference will provide you with the opportunity to receive answers to your questions regarding the latest status of preparations and guidance directly from the ECHA experts here in their hometown.  You will also be informed about the co-operation between the ECHA experts, EU industry, non-EU manufacturers, importers, and various service providers which is needed in order to face the massive challenge of REACH implementation.

Several organizations, such as industry associations and service providers, have established their presence in Helsinki in the proximity of ECHA. You will be receiving an overview of their activities.

It is possible for you to register and get your accreditation directly at the Congress. However, we recommend that you do this beforehand on-line at www.hiccs2008.eu/registration.

For more information on the Congress, you may visit www.hiccs2008.eu. You may also contact directly the staff of the HRC Secretariat:

Riku Rinta-Jouppi, tel. +358 40 5347 514,
riku.rinta-jouppi(at)helsinkireachcentre.eu
Annemaria Ojanperä, tel. +358 40 0391 525
annemaria.ojanpera(at)helsinkireachcentre.eu

We are looking forward to meeting you in Helsinki in early summer!

HELSINKI REACH CENTRE (HRC) is a network clustering together organizations which can benefit from co-operation to meet the REACH requirements. It is funded by the City of Helsinki and membership fees, and it works in close contact with ECHA.

HRC members include non-EU industry associations which need help in fulfilling the REACH requirements, as well as REACH specialists providing services in various fields (e.g. laboratory, legal, IT, training and consulting services).

For more information, please visit the HRC website at www.helsinkireachcentre.eu.

Annex:

Key speakers available for interview

In addition to attending the press conference, you may wish to interview Congress speakers directly during lunch or coffee breaks. Below, you can find a list of key persons available for interview:

Geert Dancet, ECHA (on 20th May only)
Hannu Vornamo, HELSINKI REACH CENTRE (on 20th May only)
Zhou Chun, CCCMC Europe (Chinese industry representation in Helsinki)
Fumiaki Shono, JCIA, Japan
DaeYoung Park, KECE, Korea
Alexander Deyneko, FRTP, Russia
Paul Vesel, SGCI Chemie Pharma Schweiz, Switzerland
Murat Akyuz, ICCEA, Turkey
Kristiina Helenius, American Chamber of Commerce, Finland
Riku Rinta-Jouppi, HELSINKI REACH CENTRE
Annemaria Ojanperä, HELSINKI REACH CENTRE

In order to fix an appointment for interview, please contact our professional congress organizer, Congreszon, at hiccs2008(at)congreszon.fi . They are in charge of co-ordinating the interviews.

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