EUROPEAN UNION

PFAS restriction under REACH – Next steps. Experts from the Socio-Economic Assessment Committee will meet from 9 to 11 June. They will receive an update on the outcome of the public consultation held on the draft SEAC opinion from 26 March to 25 May.

Commissioner Roswall on the other hand announced in

Commissioner Roswall publicly announced in the course of a debate with Members of the European Parliament on 27 April that the Commission will not issue its REACH revision proposal.

The revision, which had been announced in the 2020 Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability had since been postponed several times. The Commission issued a first version

The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee adopted its report in the Chemicals Omnibus file on 15 April.

The Chemicals Omnibus simplification proposal was published by the Commission on 8 July 2025.

Discussions on the text are heated with the attention centered around the proposed amendments to the Cosmetics Regulation (Regulation (EU) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products).

The

EUROPEAN UNION

PFAS restriction under REACH – RAC opinion adopted, SEAC draft opinion agreed and public consultation launched. A major milestone has been reached in the EU generic restriction process for PFAS. On 2 March 2026, the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) adopted its final opinion, followed shortly after by the

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 &

EUROPEAN UNION

PFAS universal restriction under REACH – opinions expected in March. ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) is expected to adopt its Opinion on the proposed universal PFAS restriction under REACH during its meeting of 2–6 March 2026. The Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) is scheduled to discuss and

The European Parliament and the Council are shaping their positions on the Chemicals Omnibus simplification proposal published by the Commission on 8 July 2025.

Discussions on the text are expected to be heated, with an important involvement of civil society groups.

Certain political groups and Member States have notably been very vocal at the local

European Union

ECHA scientific committees on track to finalise opinions on the PFAS restriction. ECHA confirmed on 17 December that its two scientific committees, the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC), remain on schedule to deliver their opinions on the proposed PFAS restriction. The committees’ December meetings enabled the adoption

European Union

Universal PFAS Restriction. The minutes of ECHA’s 68th SEAC meeting (15–19 September 2025) outline that SEAC experts reached provisional conclusions for the lubricants and energy sectors, covering regulatory alternatives, substitution options, socio-economic impacts, potential sector-specific derogations and associated uncertainties. Discussions on the electronics and semiconductors sectors will continue in December, with further

The Battery Regulation ((EU) 2023/1542) (Regulation) entered into force on 17 August 2023, superseding the Battery Directive (2006/66/EC). The Regulation establishes a harmonised framework designed to strengthen the internal market, promote the circular economy and mitigate environmental and social impacts across the full battery life cycle.

As part of the implementation of this framework