European Commission Publishes Chemicals Industry Action Plan - European Sealing Association

On 8 July 2025, the European Commission Published its Industry Action Plan to strengthen the Chemical Industry in Europe.

Simplifying and Streamlining the Regulatory Framework

The European Commission is committed to reducing administrative burdens for businesses by 25% overall, and by 35% for SMEs, by the end of its mandate.

In 2025 alone, the Commission has introduced six “simplification omnibus” packages to reduce bureaucracy. These packages are designed to ease compliance burdens for industry while maintaining high safety and environmental standards.

1. Simplification Omnibus

The latest 6th Omnibus, announced alongside this Action Plan, focussing especially in on chemicals legislation (CLP, fertilisers, cosmetics) and is expected to save the industry €363 million annually.

More is on the way by targeting environmental rules (Q4 2025) new rules to support biopesticides and plant protection products (end of 2025).

2. Revision of the REACH Regulation

A targeted revision of REACH, the EU’s main chemical safety law, is expected by Q4 2025.
The goal is to simplify procedures, speed up decisions, and support industry competitiveness—without compromising on safety or sustainability.

3. The ECHA Regulation

A new proposal (Q3 2025) will establish a standalone ECHA Regulation, aiming to:

• Improve the agency’s governance
• Reduce compliance costs for companies, particularly
• Make its funding model more sustainable

4. PFAS Action Plan

The European Commission provided a clarification regarding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) within the context of its Chemicals Industry Action Plan. This clarification is part of the Commission’s broader effort to address PFAS pollution, including potential restrictions and reassessments of the “polluter pays” principle. The action plan, aims to address competitiveness challenges faced by the chemical industry amidst evolving regulatory landscapes, particularly concerning PFAS.

• PFAS are under review due to their environmental and health risks.
• A proposal for EU-wide restrictions will follow in 2026 after receiving ECHA’s opinion with the objective of minimising PFAS emissions.
• Consumer uses (e.g., food contact materials, cosmetics, clothing) may be banned.
• Critical industrial uses may still be allowed under strict conditions, however derogations for further uses will need to be accompanied by requirements to reduce emissions at all lifecycle stages to limit the release of pollutants into the environment and by clear incentives to innovate.
• Measures include:
  • Support for cleanup (polluter-pays principle)
  • Investment in safe alternatives
  • A new EU-wide PFAS monitoring system
  • Public-private partnerships for remediation technology
  • Stakeholder dialogue in Q2 2026

Conclusion:

The topic in providing clarity on the UPFAS restriction process is of highly interest.
The reference to consumer applications is welcomed, however a definition of “consumer products” still remains unclear. Further clarity, particularly regarding the regulation of fluoropolymers within sectorial applications, is also lacking and a concrete timeline remains unclear.

Success depends on collaboration between the EU institutions, Member States, industry, and civil society. The goal is to create a business-friendly environment that supports innovation, decarbonisation, and competitiveness, while ensuring sustainability and health protections.

Sandy Van den Broeck,
ESG Director, ESA