Czech president vetoes EU chemical bill

President Klaus has vetoed a law which would force companies to register all the chemicals they use. The law was drafted after the European Union issued a directive calling on member states to declare which chemicals were in use on their territory. At the time, President Klaus criticized the directive, calling it the most terrible thing to have emerged from the EU. The bill will now be returned to the chamber of deputies, where MPs are able to overturn the president’s no-vote. Environmental organizations have said that the bill only places moderate demands on the country’s chemical industry, while Czech chemical plants respond that the cost of implementing the bill would far outweigh the benefits.