REACH update on the brink?
The soon planned revision of the European EU chemicals regulation REACH could be delayed, according to media reports. Some already see the end of the revision coming.
The planned revision of EC Regulation No. 1907/2006, also known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) or EU Chemicals Regulation, which came into force in 2007, could be delayed. The French newspaper Le Monde and the German news magazine Der Spiegel report on a planning document from the EU Commission, according to which the Commission's proposal, scheduled for the end of 2022, will not be presented until the fourth quarter of 2023.
Regarding the now targeted deadline of the end of 2023, the EU paper literally states, "Following consultations with key stakeholders, we will propose a targeted revision of the legislation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH)." The EU Parliament will be newly elected in spring 2024. The proposal presented by the end of 2023, according to current planning, would then only be voted on by the new assembly elected in 2024. Associations such as BUND, which is calling for a prompt revision, think this is too late. A postponement of years or even the complete cancellation is threatened if the EU Commission, which will also be newly elected in 2024, does not continue the revision.