The European Commission has delivered a revised rolling list of its ‘Restrictions Roadmap’ under Europe’s rules on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH).
The Commission said the REACH Restrictions Roadmap provides an updated overview of ongoing and planned restrictions on hazardous substances under the REACH Regulation.
REACH is the main European legislation governing the use of chemicals across the EU and governs the registration, evaluation, authorisation, and restriction of chemicals. It said the revision introduces a clearer structure, shows progress made since 2022, when the restrictions roadmap was first introduced, and includes new entries, which it said will reinforce transparency and support stakeholder engagement throughout the restriction process.
The EC said that since 2022, 11 REACH restrictions covering hundreds of hazardous substances have been adopted, while six more are in the final stages of the evaluation process. It also said work continues on major initiatives such as restrictions on PFAS (so-called, ‘forever chemicals’), hexavalent chromium substances, octocrylene, and other persistent, bio-accumulative, toxic and endocrine-disrupting substances.
‘The revised Roadmap shows the Commission’s commitment to reducing the exposure of people and the environment to hazardous chemicals,’ it said.
The Rolling List sets out the ongoing work on restrictions under REACH, at different stages of their preparation. The EC notes that the inclusion of a substance in the roadmap is not an undertaking that a REACH restriction will finally be adopted. ‘The Roadmap’s rolling list, prepared in cooperation with European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), is an evolving tool, differentiating between substances to be subject to a restriction and substances still under assessment in order to conclude whether a REACH restriction is warranted,’ it said.
The rolling list is regularly reviewed and updated in close cooperation with ECHA, the Commission said.
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