The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) has adopted its opinion on the proposed universal restriction on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), covering all PFAS and their uses. The opinion concludes RAC’s evaluation of PFAS hazards, volumes, emissions, and risks, as well as the likely effectiveness, practicality and enforceability of the proposed restriction. The evaluation was based on the proposal submitted on 13 January 2023 by national authorities from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The RAC’s opinion will be published soon. ECHA’s Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) is expected to agree its draft opinion next week. The draft will be subject to a 60-day consultation, with SEAC’s final opinion expected by the end of 2026. Once both committee opinions have been adopted, ECHA will submit them to the European Commission, which will prepare a draft restriction for discussion and vote in the REACH Committee.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced the addition of 40 hazardous chemicals to Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 (Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation), effective 1 March 2025. This update requires EU exporters to notify their intention to export these substances, with 38 of them needing explicit consent from importing countries. The list includes 35 pesticides and five industrial chemicals. Additionally, cyanamide and warfarin now require explicit consent, while perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and related compounds have been added to Annex V, imposing an export ban. The PIC Regulation's Annex I now encompasses 321 entries, reflecting the EU's commitment to regulating hazardous chemical trade.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has expanded the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) by adding three hazardous chemicals, bringing the total number of entries to 250. Notably, two of the newly added chemicals are classified as very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) and are used in cosmetics, personal care, and automotive care products. The third chemical, used in textile treatment products and dyes, is toxic for reproduction.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced that its Enforcement Forum has prepared a project to check if prison centres have been notified of hazardous chemical mixtures by suppliers as these prison centre notification allow appropriate emergency response. The project aims to protect human health by enforcing the requirement that suppliers of chemicals provide information about hazardous mixtures to the national authorities. The national authorities make that information available to poison centres so that they can give advice to citizens or medical personnel in the event of an emergency. The inspectors will check that the notification has been submitted and verify labels of mixtures and, where needed, Safety Data Sheets. The exact scope of the checks will be defined in the coming months. Inspections in this project will begin in January 2025 and continue for six months, with the project report to be published at the end of 2025.

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) has adopted its opinion in support of France’s proposal to restrict the placing on the market, reuse and banning of the secondary use of wood treaded with creosote and related substances. The Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) has also published a draft opinion in support of the proposed restriction and is open for comments until 7 November 2023. The RAC concurs that all secondary uses should be banned until safer alternatives become available. The RAC’s opinion is expected to be fully adopted in December 2023.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has started preparations for its new responsibilities under the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation, which entered into force on 13 August 2026. This Regulation restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in new vehicles and components, with specific exemptions, and establishes circularity requirements for vehicle design and end-of-life management.  ECHA will support the European Commission by identifying substances of concern in vehicles, preparing restriction proposals for additional hazardous substances, and assessing exemptions from existing substance restrictions. The new Regulation replaces the current End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, though the Directive remains largely applicable until the Regulation takes effect on 1 September 2028. A Commission report on substances of concern is expected by 14 February 2028.

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Enforcement Forum has found, through its pilot enforcement project, that out of 4,500 inspected cosmetic products, 6% contained hazardous substances banned under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 (EU Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation) and Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 (EU REACH). The chemicals found adversely affect human health and the environment, are toxic to human reproduction and are suspected of causing cancer.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a new chemicals database called 'ECHA CHEM', which can be used to publish information on chemicals. The first version of ECHA CHEM includes information on 100,000 registrations under Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 (EU REACH) that companies submitted to ECHA. The ECHA will expand the database with the redesigned Classification and Labelling Inventory, alongside the first set of regulatory lists later in 2024.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a consultation to support the preparation of a study report, identifying substances of concern in packaging, as required under Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)), which entered into force on 11 February 2025. The report will also consider potential follow-up measures, including restrictions. To inform the report, ECHA is seeking information from stakeholders on packaging materials and their uses, production volumes, substances used in packaging, manufacturing and downstream processing, recycling and waste management practices, and the technologies applied. The consultation closes on 28 October 2025.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a new online tool via the ECHA Industry Portal to allow companies to notify their intention to update the EU Positive Lists of substances approved for use in materials that come into contact with drinking water. The tool enables companies to indicate substances they wish to keep, add to or remove from the European Positive Lists. ECHA has published a manual on preparing Drinking Water Directive notifications of intention, alongside a guidance document and a video tutorial to assist notifiers in preparing their notifications. Following submission of a notification of intention, notifiers have 12 months to submit their application, with the application window opening in January 2027.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has proposed an EU-wide restriction on certain hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) substances to reduce their harmful effects on workers and the public. Developed at the request of the European Commission, the proposal is based on an assessment that identified Cr(VI) as a potent carcinogen linked to lung and intestinal cancers, presenting significant risks to both workers and local communities near industrial sites. The proposal intends to replace the current authorisation requirements under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) framework. It calls for a ban on Cr(VI) substances—with exceptions for specific use categories that meet defined limits for worker exposure and environmental emissions—and includes barium chromate to prevent substitution with similarly hazardous chemicals.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have published new guidance documents that describe good practice and provide technical and scientific advice for duty holders to comply with their obligations under the Drinking Water Directive. The guidance supports the implementation of the European positive lists under the DWD.