June 30, 2026 11:42

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to strengthen the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and give it greater legal autonomy, while also increasing the financial resources available for its operations.

Established 20 years ago, the Agency and its scientific committees have played a key role in implementing EU rules on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH), providing technical and scientific assessments and opinions.
Over the years, ECHA’s responsibilities have expanded to include product safety and environmental policy, including scientific opinions on restrictions covering microplastics and PFAS.

The agreement would allow the European Parliament or Member States to request scientific opinions from ECHA, after consulting the Commission. The Agency’s structure would be adapted to manage its current and future workload effectively, with an expanded pool of experts nominated by Member States and appointed to its risk assessment and socio-economic analysis committees.

ECHA’s tasks and responsibilities would also be consolidated under a single regulation, decoupling the Agency from the 2006 REACH regulation. This unified and autonomous framework, according to a statement, would provide a clear legal basis for ECHA’s operations and facilitate efficient governance.

The Agency’s three budgets would be merged, giving it greater flexibility to allocate resources independently and adapt to changing workloads. In addition, a reserve fund would be created to address fluctuations in fee revenues and their impact on the Agency’s operations.

Clear rules have also been introduced to prevent and manage conflicts of interest involving the Agency’s staff and experts, including members of its internal bodies, in order to ensure its independence and credibility.

The provisional agreement will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for formal adoption. The new regulation will then be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force 20 days after publication.

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