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On 15 October 2025, the European Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2067, amending Regulation (EC) No 340/2008 on the fees and charges payable to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under REACH. The regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union the following day. It introduces two major reforms: an inflation-based adjustment to standard REACH fees and a new system for verifying Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) status.

Fee Adjustments

The amendment introduces a 19.5 % increase in standard REACH fees, reflecting the cumulative inflation recorded since 2021. This update ensures that the fees paid to ECHA continue to cover the costs of registration, evaluation, and other administrative processes under REACH.
However, in line with the European Commission’s SME Relief Package and the 2024–2029 Political Guidelines, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are excluded from this adjustment. The exemption is intended to maintain a fair balance between administrative sustainability and the financial capacity of smaller companies.

The exact fee amounts for each registration type and company size can be found in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2067 which is available here.

New Approach to SME Status Verification

The amendment introduces a change to how ECHA verifies SME eligibility. Rather than reviewing SME claims after submission (the current ex post approach), ECHA will now verify SME status in advance (ex ante).

Under the revised system, companies wishing to benefit from reduced fees must obtain SME recognition before submitting their dossiers. This request must be submitted no later than two months before the intended submission date. Once granted, SME status will remain valid for three years and will cover all applications made during that period.
ECHA may charge an administrative fee to process SME recognition requests, but this fee will be waived if the company’s SME status is confirmed.

Implementation and Transition Period

The revised fee structure and the new verification system will both take effect from 5 February 2027, giving companies a 15-month transition period to align their internal procedures. These changes aim to enhance predictability, ensure the fair application of SME reductions, and reduce the administrative burden on registrants and ECHA alike.

The European Parliament has backed draft measures, supported by 431 MEPs, to advance a circular economy in the automotive sector. This will be achieved by improving vehicle design, increasing the use of recycled materials, and strengthening car recycling.

The initiative aims to make vehicles easer to dismantle and recycle, set ambitious recycled-content targets, and assign manufacturers greater responsibility for collection and treatment. The Parliament’s position is in line with the European Green Deal and the EU's circular economy objectives, and negotiations will now follow the Council's earlier position.

Circular Economy in the Automotive Sector

The rules apply to most vehicles, with the exception of those used for special purposes, military purposes, emergency services, and historically significant vehicles. New vehicles must be designed so that parts can be easily removed for reuse, recycling, remanufacturing, or refurbishing. MEPs propose that vehicles contain at least 20% recycled plastic within six years and 25% within ten years, with future targets set for recycled steel and aluminium.

Three years after implementation, manufacturers will be subject to extended producer responsibility, covering the cost of collecting and treating end-of-life vehicles, alongside an export ban for such vehicles. The co-rapporteurs emphasized that the Parliament’s aim to support resource security, environmental protection, and sustainability while ensuring realistic targets and fair competition.

These measures follow the Commission’s proposal in July 2023 and align with the European Green Deal and the circular economy action plan. With 14.8 million vehicles produced in 2023 and 6.5 million reaching end-of-life annually, interinstitutional negotiations are expected soon, following the Council’s earlier position in order to finalize the regulatory framework.

Further steps

As the European Council already adopted its position earlier this summer, interinstitutional negotiations are expected to start without delay.