4th September 2026
This editorial was first published in the chemicals policy briefing Toxic-Free for EU No 141, which you can consult here.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back after the summer break to our newest briefing on EU chemicals policy.
The year so far has been a rollercoaster.
The Commission shelved the long-prepared REACH revision in response to the chemical sector’s competitiveness crisis and is now looking for alternative ways to modernise and simplify the rules.
Simplification in the form of deregulation did not go down too well in the Chemicals Omnibus: EU legislators have shown little appetite to trade off health protection regarding cancer-causing chemicals in cosmetics.
Another initiative by the Commission to help the sector has also caused controversy: the Critical Chemicals Alliance, which is accused of locking Europe into continued dependence on fossil fuels.
But amongst all the uncertainty, the regulatory machine keeps moving. Authorities are working through a list of chemicals prioritised for restrictions. PFAS, brominated flame retardants, bisphenols, and phthalates are well-established groups of hazardous chemicals that have raised concerns for decades. DG GROW has recently announced that it has more resources available to work on these.
Meanwhile, PFAS pollution levels (and toxicity) in food and water continue to rise, mounting pressure on governments across Europe and the Commission to act urgently.
By the end of the year, we expect the opinion of ECHA’s committees on the universal PFAS restriction, clearing the way for the Commission to finally decide on how it will tackle Europe’s largest pollution scandal, under the watch of its flagship safety policy, REACH.
Stefan Scheuer, Chief EU Policy Advocate, CHEM Trust
Dr Anna Watson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, CHEM Trust