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Brussels is considering further delaying proposals to limit harmful chemicals and microplastics amid growing hostility to climate regulation from industry and right-wing politicians.
The European Commission’s proposals for a new version of the Reach regulation on the sale and use of chemicals, which would affect substances used in semiconductors and a range of other products, may now be put on hold until after EU-wide elections next June. reported the situation.
The timetable for unveiling the proposals has been pushed back from last year to this year. The plans would mark the first step in changing the rules, which must then be negotiated by member states and the European Parliament. The current rules are so complex that negotiations took seven years.
At a hearing on Tuesday morning, Slovak commissioner Maroš Šefčovič was nominated to oversee the EU Green Deal climate program following the departure of former president Frans Timmermans , but he failed to guarantee that the chemicals proposal would be presented on time.
He listed the proposals Brussels hopes to put forward before the election, including on conditions for animal transport, but said only that “the Reach’s work continues”.
“Reach is at a standstill,” a senior EU diplomat said. “The administrative burden has increased significantly. Leaders believe there’s too much red tape, too much regulation, and it’s killing our competitiveness.”
Two EU officials said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had not yet decided whether to submit the proposal on December 20, the last chance to meet a 2023 deadline.
If the proposal is delayed until after the EU elections, it could be scrapped entirely as a new Commission would be in charge.
Another EU official said changes to the rules, which would restrict or phase out particularly harmful substances, were “highly political” because of the impact on industry.
Many of the chemicals that can be restricted are substances critical to the green transition and semiconductor production. One glaring issue is how to regulate polymers, which can be dangerous but are ubiquitous in products from clothing to plastic bags.
“We have to find a balance to achieve all our goals,” the official said.
Von der Leyen is facing pressure from the centre-right European People’s Party, her own political group, to reduce the burden of environmental regulations on companies as they contend with high costs and geopolitical trade tensions.
She has not yet said whether she will run for commission chair again, but a successful bid would require the support of the pro-industry European People’s Party and the French government, which has publicly backed tightening rules on hazardous chemicals.
The debate over the regulation comes amid a wider backlash ahead of EU elections over the costs of the green transition and its impact on voters.
An EU official said a proposal on microplastic pollution was also awaiting a decision from von der Leyen.
In a written reply to parliament’s environment committee, Šefkovic said the committee was conducting “careful analysis” to “reduce the health hazards and environmental damage from chemical pollution” while “avoiding excessively high costs for European businesses.” Administrative burden”.
The chemical industry supports an update to the broad Reach regulations, which are currently 849 pages long, as long as it is “targeted and efficient”, according to industry body Cefic.
But it said chemicals regulation should not be “driven by judgment rather than scientific evidence” amid concerns the revisions would slow approval of critical substances. At the same time, several member states, led by Denmark, are pushing for a difficult “Reach” proposal.
The committee declined to comment.
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