“Given the significant uncertainties it could spell for the chemicals industry – it appears a full REACH revision is off the table for the Commission,” said Julian Schenten, a senior law and policy adviser at NGO ClientEarth. “And it’s clear to us that ploughing ahead with a full revision creates a significant risk of REACH being dismantled, given how political the file has become.”
Testing the parliamentary waters
EU environment chief Jessika Roswall and industry chief Stéphane Séjourné met with the Socialists and Democrats group, the European People’s Party, and the European Conservatives and Reformists group during a March plenary in Strasbourg, their offices confirmed. The duo also met with the Greens and liberal Renew group in early February.
Italian MEP Pietro Fiocchi of the right-wing ECR told POLITICO that he was “very explicit” in his opposition to reopening REACH during his meeting with the commissioners.
Italian Member of the European Parliament Pietro Fiocchi is pictured in Milan on April 17, 2024. | Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The same goes for the center-right EPP. German MEP Dennis Radtke told POLITICO in February that the debate over REACH “is getting very emotional” and admitted it is “best … not to touch” REACH.
Chemicals lobby group Cefic has also been very vocal in insisting that the legislation not be reopened.
“The commissioners are testing the possibility of only doing comitology (changing annexes) as requested by Cefic,” said one person close to the talks in late January.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Commissioner Roswall said the Commission was still considering a full legislative overhaul of REACH, but added that from the beginning it was “also looking at what they can do from within the regulation.”
She did not comment on whether Commission is considering comitology, adding that the work is “still in progress both between me, Stéphane Séjourné but also with others.”