There are many important Regulatory Watch updates this month on policy action relevant towards Zero Pollution of Persistent, Mobile Substances:
Surface and groundwater quality standards for PFAS adopted but not to be complied with before 2039
On 23 September, Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the revision of the Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Quality Standards Directive and the Groundwater Directive with regards to priority substances in surface and groundwater (after three years of legislative procedure!). According to institutions’ press releases (Parliament and Council), the agreement introduces environmental quality standards (EQS) for new surface water pollutants – including for the sum of 25 PFAS (the 25th substance being TFA, not included in the original Commission proposal). Quality standards are also created for the sum of selected pesticides including glyphosate, certain pharmaceuticals (including ibuprofen and diclofenac) and Bisphenol A. Groundwater quality standards are added for PFAS, non-relevant metabolites of pesticides and certain pharmaceuticals. The timeline proposed by the Council has been maintained in the provisional agreement: Member States will have until 2039 to achieve compliance with the new standards both for surface water and groundwater, with, in addition, a possible extension until 2045 under strict conditions. The 20-year deadline for phasing out priority hazardous substances has been kept in the agreement. The agreement also includes the creation of a groundwater watchlist. Further details will be provided in the next regulatory watch when the text of the provisional agreement becomes publicly available.
Public consultation on SEAC opinion on PFAS restriction scheduled for March 2026
ECHA announced it will launch the consultation on the draft opinion of the SEAC on the PFAS restriction following the Committee’s meeting in March 2026. The consultation will cover impacts of restricting the use of PFAS across various sectors and the availability and feasibility of alternatives. ECHA will organise a webinar on the consultation for potential participants on 30 October 2025.
ECHA launched Call for Evidence on substances of concern in packaging
ECHA has launched a Call for Evidence to support the preparation of a study report identifying substances of concern in packaging. The report is mandated by the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which came into force on 11 February 2025. The report should also consider appropriate follow-up measures, such as restrictions of substances of concern in packaging. The Call for evidence aims to gather information on packaging materials and their use, tonnages, substances used in packaging, its manufacturing and downstream processing / recycling as well as waste management and the recycling technologies used. The Call is open until 28 October 2025.
France specifies its national reduction targets for industrial discharges of PFAS in water
The French PFAS law (Law No. 2025-188 aiming to protect the population from the risks associated with PFAS substances), adopted on 27 February 2025, required the government to adopt national targets for the gradual reduction of industrial emissions of PFAS in water, with the aim of eliminating these discharges within 5 years. In a decree published on 8 September 2025, France specified the national targets, with a first aim to reduce water discharges of PFAS from industrial facilities by 70% by 27 February 2028, compared to the estimated or measured emissions for the year 2023. Subsequently, these discharges should be ended by 27 February 2030. The decree however does not specify the operational procedures for implementing this objective in the coming years.
Upcoming consultation deadlines:
- Deadline to provide feedback on the draft act listing additional substances as unacceptable co-formulants in PPP in Annex III to the PPPR: 17 October 2025.
- Deadline to provide feedback to ECHA’s call for evidence on substances in packaging and packaging waste: 28 October 2025.
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/