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On March 26, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) released the final opinion of its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the draft opinion of its Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) on the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. According to ECHA, RAC and SEAC “support an EU-wide restriction, subject to specific derogations, on the...

After February 5, 2027, companies wishing to benefit from the reduced fees for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SME) must apply for company size validation prior to submitting their Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) dossiers. This contrasts with the current process, where SME status is confirmed retrospectively, after registrations are submitted. Under the European Commission’s updated REACH Fee Regulation, SMEs planning to...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Christine M. Palermo, Ph.D., DABT has joined our firms as Director of Regulatory Sciences. Dr. Palermo provides Acta clients with global strategy in chemical regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and product stewardship, assisting clients to commercialize new products and expand markets for existing product portfolios. Dr. Palermo deploys the extensive domestic and international experience she...

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) met in December 2025. According to ECHA’s December 17, 2025, press release, RAC and SEAC progressed their evaluation of the updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to ECHA, both committees reached provisional...

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) appears to be headed for yet another full-year delay following growing political pressure, concerns about the readiness of the European Commission’s (EC) information technology (IT) systems, and intensifying industry warnings that the current December 30, 2025, compliance deadline is becoming increasingly unrealistic. While the EC has not yet officially postponed the implementation date, the signals coming out of Brussels are...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on October 9, 2025, that at its October 7-8, 2025, meeting, the Member State Committee (MSC) agreed to identify 1,1'-(ethane-1,2-diyl)bis[pentabromobenzene] (DBDPE) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) because of its very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) properties. ECHA states that it plans to add the substance to the Candidate List in November 2025. ECHA notes that “[b]esides the regular obligations following the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on August 20, 2025, that it published an updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. The authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden (Dossier Submitters) submitted the initial proposal in January 2023 and have now completed their evaluation of more than 5,600 scientific and...

The European Commission (EC) released on July 7, 2025, a Chemicals Industry Action Plan (Action Plan) to strengthen the competitiveness and modernization of the European Union’s (EU) chemical sector. According to the EC, the Action Plan addresses key challenges, “namely high energy costs, unfair global competition, and weak demand, while promoting investment in innovation and sustainability.” The EC also released a simplification omnibus on chemicals to streamline and simplify further key...

On June 23, 2025, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) published a Think Tank briefing entitled “Targeted scrutiny of the EU chemicals strategy for sustainability.” According to EPRS, while the European Commission (EC) has made progress in implementing initiatives outlined in the 2020 Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, certain key actions remain unfulfilled. These include revising the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation...

The Council of the European Union (EU) announced on June 12, 2025, that it reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament (EP) on the “one substance, one assessment” (OSOA) legislative package, “which aims to streamline assessments of chemicals across relevant EU legislation, strengthen the knowledge base on chemicals, and ensure early detection and action on emerging chemical risks.” The package contains three proposals: a directive concerning the re-attribution of...