REACHblog®

The Development Law Service (LEGN) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold a webinar on April 30, 2026, at 14:30 (CEST) aimed at enhancing awareness and understanding of the legal concept of the Rights of Nature. According to FAO, the webinar will clarify the concept of Rights of Nature, highlight relevant jurisprudential and legislative developments across jurisdictions, and explore potential linkages with LEGN’s thematic areas,...

The Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (MoEUCC) has released an executive summary clarifying temporary registrations and temporary individual registrations under KKDIK (Kimyasalların Kaydı, Değerlendirilmesi, İzni ve Kısıtlanması). The announcement addresses situations where companies have pre-registered substances but cannot proceed with joint registration due to the absence of a lead registrant. In these cases, companies may submit a temporary individual...

As of February 24, 2026, the United Kingdom (UK) government has announced that the interim approaches to adding Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) to the UK Candidate List no longer apply and have been replaced with a new strategic approach. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), the 2021 interim principles facilitated a case-by-case review process for adding substances to the UK Candidate List, incorporating Regulatory Management Options Analyses (RMOA), and consideration...

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...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 3, 2026, that its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) has concluded its evaluation of the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. ECHA notes that RAC drew on “an extensive and independent evaluation of PFAS hazards, volumes, emissions, risks and the likely effectiveness of a restriction as well as...

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on February 3, 2026, that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a PFAS Plan, a “cross-government, science-led” plan to understand the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on public health and the environment, with coordinated actions to minimize risks. Defra notes that there is no universally agreed definition of PFAS, but states that the Organisation for Economic...

On February 10, 2026, EPPA, a Brussels-based regulatory and public affairs consultancy, will hold a webinar on “Shaping the ETS/CBAM Reforms: Strategic Insights for Energy-Intensive industries.” According to EPPA, as of 2026, both the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) Directive and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Regulation will undergo significant design changes that will reshape the operating landscape for Europe’s energy-intensive...

As reported in our July 17, 2025, blog item, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a public consultation on July 14, 2025, on its proposals to extend the UK REACH transitional registration submission deadlines. UK REACH was amended in 2023 to extend the deadlines three years to October 2026, October 2028, and October 2030. The proposed new deadlines under consultation were: Option 1:...

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 Commission (EC) announced on December 9, 2025, that the Critical Chemicals Alliance will convene its first General Assembly on January 13, 2026, at the Chemelot Chemical Park in the Netherlands. According to the EC, the General Assembly will bring together European Union (EU) member states, regions, industry leaders, and all interested parties “to develop coordinated solutions to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU chemical industry.” The Critical Chemicals...