POSITION | CHEMICALS POLICY | REACH
Chemicals policy guidelines 2025 Revision of the REACH Regulation
May 20, 2025 General In its communication on the "Clean Industrial Deal" from February 26, 2025, the European Commission announced a "Chemicals Industry Package" (CIP) for the fourth quarter of 2025, which will include targeted initiatives to improve competitiveness, modernization, and the promotion of production and innovation in Europe. Key components of the CIP will be the revision of the REACH regulation and the clarification of the regulatory situation regarding Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). Additionally, initiatives to promote innovation and enforcement are planned. In its work programme for 2025, the Commission also announced a targeted revision of the REACH Regulation. With the measures announced in the Clean Industrial Deal, the Commission is concretizing the objectives formulated in Ursula von der Leyen's political guidelines for 2024 - 2029 (July 2024) to make Europe more sustainable, innovative, competitive, resilient, and independent. Existing and new regulations should be simplified and bureaucratic hurdles reduced. To achieve the goal of "Making Europe simpler and faster," Ursula von der Leyen outlined important general guidelines in her Mission Letters to the Commission candidates (September 2024) to ensure that existing regulations are fit for purpose and that new measures focus on reducing bureaucracy and simplifying regulation. Simplification of the regulation is also mentioned as a key goal with regard to the REACH regulation (Mission Letters, September 2024). In April 2025, the EU Commission specified its plans for the revision of the REACH regulation in CARACAL (Competent Authorities for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP)). These show that the Commission intends to adhere to the approaches and plans discussed under the Green Deal, contrary to the announced simplification. With recent international developments, the need for clear and efficient European regulation to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the European economy and its companies is becoming even more prominent. The availability of chemicals plays a central role in this. With this position paper, we outline the chemical policy measures and guidelines that we believe should be implemented in future from the perspective of German industry to ensure that the CIP is designed and, in particular, that the REACH Regulation is revised in an appropriate, effective and targeted manner.
Autor | Abteilung | T: +49 30 2028-0 | m.mustermann@bdi.eu | www.bdi.eu