The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has made public the list of denaturants that could be used to make alcohol unfit for human consumption following the addition of another element to it. With this harmonisation, the Commission seeks to mitigate both fraud and tax evasion practices related to alcoholic beverages.

The list of denaturants that could potentially be used to harmonise denaturing practices at EU level has been published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. Throughtout this step to harmonise denaturing practices in Europe, the JRC intends to mitigate both fraud and tax evasion practices related to alcoholic beverages. According to the JRC scientists, the denaturants that made it onto the list could probably replace the more than 100 substances that are currently used by Europeans to denature alcohol.

The European Commission is also seeking the best way to promote the use of the proposed denaturants in all Member States. Today, EU Member States have carte blanche to establish the requirements for both fully denatured alcohol and for alcohol earmarked for the production of any product unsuitable for human consumptions. The Commission would therefore welcome a voluntary transition to the new denaturants per product category.

On the other hand, the European Chemicals Agency is pleased about the compatibility of the proposed denaturants with the objectives of the EU legal framework for chemicals (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restrictions of Chemicals or REACH). Both, the ECHA and the REACH regulation are in force since 2007.