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PARC’s Rapid Response Mechanism
In general, PARC's work programme is fed by a prioritised list of activities, which are then developed into individual projects. These priorities are based on needs of policy or regulatory relevance identified by the PARC partners and stakeholders.
What happens if new needs arise outside of the priority identification process? Could PARC still help meet them? Indeed, a Rapid Response Mechanism is designed for this purpose, enabling new urgent needs to be addressed within the PARC framework, even if they are not listed as priority activities.
- Who can activate this mechanism? Primarily, the mechanism can be activated by the members of the PARC Governing Board and the members of the PARC Stakeholder Forum. Members of the European Hub and members of the National Hubs (via their contact point) can also activate this mechanism through their Governing Board representative.
- How can this mechanism be activated? It is a simple procedure whereby the requestor can, through the PARC Coordination Team, complete an "Urgent Needs Request Template". Within 45 days, a response document is provided outlining the assessment of the request and the PARC response concerning the eligibility and feasibility for PARC to address the request. For a request to be examined, it should not be an emergency situation and must fall within the scope of the PARC, respond to a health problem affecting humans or the ecosystem, meet a regulatory challenge, and cannot wait for the next PARC prioritisation cycle.
- Who will decide if the request is feasible? After passing the eligibility check by the Governing Board and Task 2.1, a dedicated working group is set up to assess the feasibility and draft a response document to be validated by the PARC Governing Board.
If a request is accepted, how will PARC address it? If the request is in the scope of existing activities, it can be included as part of an existing project. Alternatively, a new project could be designed to respond to this need.
History of RRM Activation in PARC
First RRM activation: ‘Compliance with potential PFAS restriction’
Date of request submission: 2 October 2023
Requestor: Governing Board Principal Representative of Sweden
Objective: In the light of the PFAS restriction proposal submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), standardised analytical methods will be needed to detect PFAS in consumer articles and assess compliance with the proposed restriction, once it has been approved.
PARC’s response: This request has been deemed eligible and feasible, and part of it will be addressed in an ongoing project over Year 3, contributing to the design of a new project in Year 5. In fact, a project (P6.4.3.b_Y3_ENFORCE_KemI) under WP 6, Activity 6.4.3 for PARC Year 3 will provide by Year 4, proof-of-concept methods for PFAS in the main consumer item categories (report due month 54). This may enable the design of a new project for Year 5, aimed at creating a network of laboratories that might be involved in testing and gaining expertise in these methods so that they can, in the longer term, continue this type of monitoring.
Response document mailed on: 21 December 2023
Second RRM activation: ‘MnHexP occurrence and potential sources’
Date of request submission: 23 February 2024
Requestor: The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
Objective: Urinary concentrations of mono-n-hexyl phthalate (MnHexP) have risen sharply in kindergarten children in Germany, but also in adults, notably in Denmark. The aim of the request is to evaluate the extent of exposure on the European level and to understand the potential sources of this phthalate metabolite, whose occurrence in human urine is undesirable.
PARC’s response: This request has been deemed eligible and feasible; a PARC project under WP2, involving T4.1, T4.2, T6.2, activity 6.4.3 and potentially the SF, will be launched to meet this need. A tiered approach has been proposed to address this request taking into account the ideal timeframe for delivering results (March 2025) and answering the general question.
Response document mailed on: 17 May 2024
