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ZeroPM Regulatory Watch May 2026

European Commission announced they will ‘not open REACH at this point’

During an exchange of views with members of the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament on 27 April 2026, Commissioner for Environment Jessika Roswall, announced that the Commission has “come to the conclusion not to open REACH at this point” as it would not support certainty and predictability, which are needed in the current geopolitical context. The Commission is looking instead into the simplification and modernisation of the annexes to the REACH Regulation through the adoption of implementing acts. Commissioner Roswall added that the Commission will ‘put forward initiatives to improve enforcement with regards to non-compliant products and substances’, indicating that details will be shared soon but without providing a clear timeline for these initiatives. This announcement puts an end to months of postponements and speculations around the revision of REACH.

Concerning the PFAS restriction, Commissioner Roswall indicated that the Commission hopes to put forward a restriction proposal by the end of the year. On the scope of the restriction, the Commission reiterated their position. Commissioner Roswall told MEPs, “As you know, the focus will be on the use of PFAS in consumer products”. On 5 May, in an exchange of views with the ENVI Committee, Commission executive vice-president Stéphane Séjourné, indicated the proposal would ‘enable industry to use [PFAS] when diversification and replacement is impossible and when they have no impact on the consumer’. Questioned by an MEP, he added that human exposure to environmental pollution would be taken into account.

Updates on ongoing legislative procedures:

  • Revision of the EU water legislation published in the Official Journal: Directive (EU) 2026/805 amending the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive was published in the Official Journal on 20 April. The Directive will enter into force on 10 May. Member States have until 21 December 2027 to transpose the Directive in their national law.
  • European Parliament adopted its position on ECHA’s Basic Regulation on 29 April. The Parliament’s position adds a possibility for the European Parliament and Member States to request scientific opinions to ECHA, asks the Agency to publish an annual report presenting recommendations on knowledge and data gaps in terms of regulatory science and regulatory needs, and proposes to set up a permanent collaboration task force bringing together EU Agencies (on the model of the One Health Task Force) to coordinate cross-agency work on chemicals exposure. To ensure ECHA has sufficient budget, the Parliament added a requirement for ECHA to regularly assess the adequacy of its financial and human resources to carry out its current and upcoming tasks.
  • European Parliament adopted its position on the Chemicals Omnibus on 29 April. Amendments proposed by some MEPs to ban PFAS and endocrine disruptors in cosmetic products were not adopted in the Parliament’s position.

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More information of upcoming actions related to persistent and mobile substances

For more information of regulations under the regulatory watch, as well as a Gantt Chart of the roll out, continuously updated spreadsheet and more information, please visit https://zeropm.eu/regulatory-watch/