ECHA: a provisional agreement reached between the Council and Parliament to strengthen the agency

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to bolster the management and funding of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), co-legislators announced on June 30, 2026.

Under the agreement, ECHA’s extended tasks and responsibilities will be consolidated into a single regulation, decoupling the agency from the REACH regulation which initially established it. The new rules will establish a standalone legal framework to help ECHA manage its growing responsibilities, which now include product safety and environmental policy, including scientific opinions on restricting microplastics and PFAS.

Additionally, the agreement allows the European Parliament or member states to request scientific opinions from ECHA, following consultation with the Commission.

Key provisions of the agreement include:
• Adapting ECHA’s structure to manage its current and future workload;
• Establishing a pool of experts nominated by member states to serve on its risk assessment and socio-economic analysis committees;
• Unifying ECHA’s budgets from three…