Revision of the REACH Regulation Further Delayed

The EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EU-REACH) is the EU’s main legislation to protect human health and the environment from the risks that chemicals can pose.  

The REACH regulation is due for a revision to promote sustainable chemicals and simplify the regulation. The revision was originally promised in 2020 as part of the European Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, which aims for a toxic-free environment, and was scheduled for adoption at the end of 2022.

The complexity of the REACH regulation, which has not been revised since it came into force, is a major factor contributing to the delay. Parallel efforts to revise the Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation have also added to the complexity of the process.

On 17 October 2023, the Commission’s work programme for the period until the European Parliament elections in June 2024 was adopted. The revision of REACH is not included in the work programme ,so it can be assumed that the revision will be postponed until after the elections.