EUROPEAN UNION

European Parliament debates ITRE-commissioned study on PFAS restriction. On 25 February, Members of the European Parliament debated a study commissioned by the Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) examining the potential economic impacts of the proposed universal PFAS restriction under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH).

The study, prepared by Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA), assesses the implications of a general restriction for certain industrial sectors. It recommends consideration of time-unlimited derogations for aerospace, defence and semiconductor uses, exclusion of fluorinated gases from the scope of the restriction, and examination of possible time-unlimited derogations for certain green and clean technology applications.

During the debate, Members from the Greens/EFA, Renew and other political groups challenged the study on the grounds that it concentrated primarily on projected economic impacts while omitting a substantive assessment of environmental and public health risks, aligning themselves with concerns expressed by environmental NGOs and segments of the scientific community. In contrast, Members of the EPP defended the study as a legitimate economic analysis intended to inform policymakers about the potential competitiveness implications of a broad PFAS restriction. The study’s authors emphasized that their work was not intended to supplant the formal scientific evaluation being conducted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) pursuant to the REACH restriction procedure, but rather to serve as a complementary economic assessment for parliamentary consideration. The study does not form part of the formal restriction process under Articles 69–73 REACH.

Amendments tabled regarding PFAS in cosmetics. In the context of negotiations on the chemicals “omnibus” proposal, Members from the Greens/EFA, Renew and S&D groups have tabled amendments seeking to prohibit the intentional use of PFAS in cosmetic products by amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (Cosmetics Regulation), rather than awaiting the outcome of the universal PFAS restriction under REACH.Certain amendments foresee a transition period (e.g. 18 months following entry into force). The amendments were tabled to the draft legislative report prepared by the European Parliament’s responsible committee on the Commission’s chemicals “omnibus” proposal.

A vote on the report is expected in March.

Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), application of PFAS prohibition. Stakeholders continue to await interpretative guidance from the European Commission concerning certain provisions of the PPWR.Regarding the prohibition on placing on the market packaging containing PFAS, the Commission has indicated that:

  • No transitional period is envisaged for the application of the prohibition;
  • Packaging placed on the market before 12 August 2026 will not be required to be withdrawn.

Industry representatives have requested timely publication of guidance to facilitate compliance before the relevant provisions begin to apply.

EU MEMBER STATES

FRANCE

Draft decree on membrane filtration technologies. Following a favourable opinion issued by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses) in May 2025, France has notified the European Commission of a draft decree extending recognised claims of effectiveness for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis technologies in drinking water treatment.

The draft decree would:

  • Remove the requirement for manufacturers to obtain case-by-case approval from health authorities concerning effectiveness against specified contaminants, including PFAS and certain pesticides;
  • Require pilot testing to demonstrate effectiveness for each specific substance concerned, thereby discontinuing the possibility of extrapolating results within a chemical family;
  • Extend the obligation to provide supporting evidence to the local authority responsible for the drinking water service.

The draft has been notified under the applicable EU procedure, and the Commission has until 27 April to issue comments.

Addition of TFA to mandatory PFAS monitoring in wastewater. France has opened a public consultation (20 February–13 March) on a draft decree amending the Order of 3 September 2025 to add trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) to the list of PFAS substances subject to mandatory monitoring in wastewater treatment plants serving more than 10,000 population equivalents and in certain industrial discharges connected to public sewer networks.

The draft measure would:

  • Include TFA among the PFAS subject to mandatory monitoring;
  • Require analysis in two of the three prescribed sampling campaigns at both inlet and outlet;
  • Extend the deadline for the national PFAS monitoring campaign from 31 December 2026 to 30 June 2027;
  • Require publication of monitoring results by the competent authorities.

The measure aligns with a previous decree requiring detection of TFA in drinking water from January 2027. At EU level, the Commission has mandated ECHA and EFSA to assess the behaviour of TFA in water and soils by June 2027.

Implementation of French PFAS discharge levy. Members of the French National Assembly have called on the government to implement the industrial PFAS discharge levy established by the Law of 27 February 2025.Following amendments during the adoption of the 2026 Finance Act, the levy is scheduled to enter into force on 1 March 2026, subject to publication of the implementing decree required for its application.

UNITED KINGDOM

PFAS Plan published. In February, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (“Defra”) released its highly anticipated PFAS Plan (“Plan”), which was one of the commitments made in the December 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan. The Plan lists 49 indicative actions and delivery outlooks that are structured around three pillars: ‘Understanding PFAS sources’, ‘tackling PFAS pathways’ and ‘reducing ongoing exposure to PFAS’. Defra states that its approach is science-based and evidence-led and aims to work in partnership across the UK, devolved governments, industry, scientists, environmental groups, and local communities to manage the legacy of the past PFAS use and the ongoing use of PFAS.

Actions under the “Understanding PFAS sources” pillar include continued work across the UK to strengthen the national dataset, making the Environment Agency’s PFAS multicriteria Geographic Information System (“GIS”) prioritisation map available to all public sector bodies across England and improve the monitoring of PFAS in soils by supporting the British Geological Survey and initiating new sampling at five locations across England. The Plan states the GIS will be published by the end of 2026, with an interactive website developed by Q3 2027, and the new sampling initiative scheduled to begin between 2026 and 2027.

Under the second pillar, “Tackling PFAS pathways”, actions include completing work to consider restrictions on PFAS in firefighting foams, reducing emissions from industrial sites through new guidance for regulators and site operators on how to improving their handling, monitoring and disposal of PFAS and developing new guidance for regulators and industry to address legacy PFAS contamination to ensure a ‘consistent and practical approach’.

Under the third pillar, “Reducing ongoing exposure to PFAS”, actions include carrying out tests on food packaging to trace the presence of PFAS and support future regulatory action, and consulting on the introduction of a statutory limit for PFAS in England’s public supply regulations to improve drinking water quality.