"Simplification can be achieved without opening the REACH legal text" (Cefic)

Stéphane Séjourné convened the formal launch of the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan during the General Assembly of the Critical Chemicals Alliance on 13/01/2026. How do you think this plan will improve the challenges currently faced by the European chemical industry?

As the European chemical industry faces an increasingly unprecedented pace of closures and declining investment, the launch of the Alliance comes at a critical moment. The focus must now shift decisively from diagnosis to delivery. A shared and clearly reaffirmed objective among the European Commission and Member States will be essential: to preserve a sufficient amount of competitive chemical production in Europe to support a strong, resilient and low-carbon economy. Cefic remains fully committed to contributing constructively to the Alliance’s work. The chemical industry does not seek protection from competition, but the conditions to compete and invest in Europe.

The rate of closures in the EU chemical industry is unprecedented.

The Alliance should therefore not limit its work to a narrow list of critical molecules or sites, but also serve as a platform to address horizontal and structural challenges affecting the sector as a whole. The rate of closures in the EU chemical industry is unprecedented. While structural reforms will take time, time is not neutral for an industry facing accelerating capacity losses and declining investment. Cefic therefore stresses the need for short-term deliverables already in the first half of 2026, with clear timelines.

Europe’s chemical industry is characterised by deep interdependencies with integrated sites, industrial clusters, and strong links with upstream and downstream industries. Decisions affecting one molecule or site often have cascading effects across entire value chains. Resilience cannot be achieved by supporting individual molecules or sites alone, nor by over-reliance on state aid, which risks fragmenting the internal market. The Alliance should take a sector-specific approach, reflecting the unique complexity and integration of the chemical industry, and learn from policy interventions in competing regions to assess what works and what does not.

The "One Substance, One Assessment " package will progressively be implemented from this year on. What are the concrete changes you expect from it and the remaining concerns you may have?

We welcome the entry into force of the OSOA framework, which has the potential to improve communication, coordination, and predictability across EU regulatory processes. A well-designed common data platform, together with clear responsibilities, adequate resources, and a budget at ECHA, will be key to the successful implementation of the OSOA package, enabling its committees to manage the increased workload without compromising scientific quality or timelines.

As the common data platform is rolled out, ensuring a high level of protection for confidential business information will be essential, as safeguarding commercially sensitive data is critical to competition and innovation. In addition, the new obligation to notify industry-commissioned studies should be proportionate, taking into account the very large number of studies, measurements, and analyses generated by industry daily.

What are your demands concerning the eventual revision of REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals ?

Simplification is a guiding political principle of this institutional mandate, and the priority is smarter, more efficient implementation: this can be achieved without opening the REACH legal text. Simplification through implementation can enhance REACH's effectiveness, for instance, through optimised information requirements under registration, better prioritisation of regulatory follow-up, enhanced collaboration, and more efficient use of the full EU regulatory toolbox. Smarter implementation delivers a clear, predictable, and effective REACH that boosts competitiveness, supports investments in Europe, and reinforces industrial resilience, while maintaining Europe's high level of protection.