European Commission Faces Delays in Implementing Hazardous Chemical Restrictions Under 2022 Roadmap
Introduction
A progress review by ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau shows that the European Commission has not started regulatory processes for seven of the 22 hazardous chemical groups in its 2022 restrictions roadmap, and has stopped progress on another seven groups. The roadmap, announced in April 2022, was intended to phase out large groups of harmful chemicals under the EU''s REACH regulation.
Main Body
The review, published in 2026, assesses the implementation of the restrictions roadmap four years after its launch. According to the report, the Commission has not started regulation for seven chemical groups and has frozen progress on seven others. Environmental groups claim that these delays are illegal and have caused approximately 98,000 tonnes of additional pollution from six of the groups. The biggest source of this pollution is lead in ammunition and fishing tackle, which was delayed by 23 months. The European Chemicals Agency estimates that about 44,000 tonnes of lead are released into the environment each year from these products. Other delayed restrictions include lead in bullets (associated with chronic kidney disease), substances in childcare products linked to cancer and gene mutations, calcium cyanamide fertilizer (a cancer-causing substance), and a flame retardant that builds up in living things and is used in cars. Under REACH, the Commission is required to write a change to the restriction list within three months of receiving expert committee opinions. The report found that this deadline has never been kept, with delays between 13 and 47 months, averaging two years. However, some restrictions have been put into effect, including those on PFAS in firefighting foam, lead in PVC plastics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in clay pigeon shooting. The Commission has not responded to requests for comment. The report also notes that certain chemical groups have been removed from the roadmap after committees advised against restriction or because the Commission chose other ways to regulate. The latest annual update of the roadmap has delayed schedules for several other groups without giving reasons. Mirella Miettinen, a chemical regulation researcher at the University of Eastern Finland not involved in the report, said the lack of political will is very frustrating and called the Commission''s administrative neglect a long-standing problem.
Conclusion
The implementation of the European Commission''s restrictions roadmap is still far from complete. Environmental organizations are calling on the Commission to speed up regulatory action, follow its legal duties under REACH, and be more open and allocate resources better.