Pollution is also one of the main causes of biodiversity loss.

One in eight deaths in Europe is linked to pollution. Pollution is also one of the main causes of biodiversity loss.

The EU aims to reduce air, water and soil pollution to levels which are harmless to human health and nature by 2050.

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on bolstering the management and funding of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The new rules will create a standalone legal framework to help ECHA manage its growing number of duties efficiently.

Since its establishment in 2007, ECHA and its scientific committees has been central to implementing the EU’s rules on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) providing technical and scientific assessments and opinions.  ECHA’s responsibilities have expanded to include product safety and environmental policy, including scientific opinions on restricting microplastics and PFAS.

A strong and well-funded European Chemicals Agency is vital for safeguarding our future. This agreement delivers the resources and independence the agency needs to effectively assess and manage chemical risks, including emerging substances such as PFAS. It supports a chemicals policy, where we ensure the system remains clear, workable, and predictable for industry and a high level of protection for people and the environment is maintained.

Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus

Unifying ECHA’s expanded mandate

The co-legislators agreed to consolidate ECHA’s extended tasks and responsibilities under a single regulation, by decoupling the agency from the REACH regulation which had initially founded it. This unified and autonomous framework will provide a clear legal basis for ECHA’s operations and facilitate its efficient governance. The new rules outline the specific tasks assigned to ECHA under different EU laws.

The agreement allows the European Parliament or member states to request scientific opinions from ECHA, after consulting with the Commission.

Strengthening ECHA’s structure

ECHA’s structure will be adapted to effectively manage its current and future workload, ensuring it has the necessary resources. To maintain the highest standards of scientific and technical expertise within the EU, the agreement provides for the necessary pool of experts to be nominated by member states and appointed to its risk assessment and socio-economic analysis committees.

Simplified budget and reserve fund

By unifying budgets (from three to a single and autonomous one), ECHA will have greater flexibility to independently allocate resources to efficiently adapt to changing workloads.

Recognising the challenges in accurately predicting income from fees and charges, the agreement establishes a reserve fund capped at 10% of ECHA’s fees and charges in order to address fluctuations in fee revenues and its impact on ECHA’s operations. The Commission may increase or decrease this percentage from 1% to 20%, to better reflect ECHA’s actual financial needs.

Safeguarding credibility

Co-legislators acknowledged that trust and confidence in ECHA and its opinions and advice is vital. Therefore, they have established clear rules on preventing and managing conflicts of interest for its staff and experts, including members of its internal bodies, in order to ensure its independence and credibility.

Next steps

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