News Details

On 9 June 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published an updated edition of its Key Areas of Regulatory Challenge report. The report identifies priority research areas intended to strengthen chemical safety, improve environmental protection, and support future regulatory decision-making across the European Union.

The 2026 update broadens the scope of ECHA’s regulatory science agenda, addressing emerging challenges related to pollution, biodiversity loss, chemical risk assessment, safe innovation, and circularity. The report aims to guide researchers, policymakers, and regulatory authorities by highlighting areas where further scientific research is required to support EU chemicals legislation.

Five Strategic Research Areas

According to ECHA, the update introduces new topics that are aligned with its evolving mandate. These include research that supports environmental impact assessments, biodiversity protection, resistance to biocides, and the prioritisation of regulatory actions under various legislative frameworks. The report organises research needs into five broad areas:

• Protecting against the most harmful chemicals.
• Addressing chemical pollution in the environment.
• Supporting the transition away from animal testing.
• Improving the availability of chemical data.
• Promoting circularity through safe materials.

New Research Priorities

Among the newly highlighted areas are:

• Environmental impacts of chemicals at the ecosystem level, with a focus on strengthening links between risk assessment, biodiversity protection, and socio-economic decision-making.
• Mobility of persistent substances, including improved methods and models for identifying contaminants capable of spreading through water systems.
• Resistance to biocides, including the development of harmonised methods to assess risks and maintain the effectiveness of biocidal treatments.

The report also places significant emphasis on the development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), including in vitro and in silico methods, to improve hazard assessment and support the reduction of animal testing in chemical regulation. Research needs are identified in areas such as neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption, environmental assessment, and biodiversity protection.

Supporting Future EU Chemicals Policy

ECHA describes the report as part of its evolving research agenda and as a practical reference for the scientific community. The report was originally developed to support the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC), a Horizon Europe initiative aimed at advancing chemical risk assessment and strengthening cooperation between regulators and researchers.

The agency notes that scientific advances in these areas will inform evidence-based regulatory decisions, contribute to the protection of human health and the environment, and promote innovation and competitiveness within the EU.