Debate: Keeping people healthy, water drinkable and soil liveable: getting rid of forever pollutants and strengthening EU chemical legislation now
Date: WEDNESDAY, 19 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Mairead McGuinness
Language: EN

The Commission is committed to the Green Deal and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and to moving towards a toxic-free environment. These commitments must be in line with our individual and collective commitments towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including the one health approach and sustainable consumption and production.  We cannot speak about forever pollutants without mentioning per- and polyfluorinated substances. These were familiar as PFAS. They are a major concern for human health and the environment. Ten years ago, we took action on one of these substances found in surface waters by including it under the Water Framework Directive. Now that we know other such substances are also harmful, the Commission has proposed adding 24 more of these chemicals to the list of priority substances under the directive. In January, five national authorities also initiated an EU restriction on PFAS as a group of substances under the REACH regulation. Given the complexity of the proposal, this will be a long process, but I believe we all share the same goal, to strike a balance between two legitimate public interests: the need to protect public health, the environment and vulnerable groups, and the need to secure European investments in certain technologies for decarbonisation.  The public consultation by ECHA on the restrictions of these substances is open and it is key that all relevant stakeholders provide sound evidence. This is a highly complex case covering many different uses and stakeholders, and the complexity may impact the time it will take ECHA prepare their opinion. The Commission proposal will follow after we receive the ECHA opinion.  And this brings me to the REACH revision and to your request to strengthen chemical legislation immediately. The REACH revision will be a targeted revision. We do not intend to rework this legislation or change its fundamental architecture. As it stands, we have knowledge gaps in REACH that must be addressed, notably on certain critical hazard classes. That includes information on substances that cause cancer or adversely affect the nervous system, the immune system or the hormone system. This is also a large group of chemicals, polymers, that are exempted from the REACH registration process. We are looking at a registration obligation for the estimated 40 000 polymers of particular and potential concern.  Sixteen years of implementation of REACH has shown us it is world-leading legislation, but at the same time we can make this regulation stronger and more efficient while simplifying and streamlining processes. REACH is a science-based regulation with evidence at its core. In fact, its main founding principle was that ‘no data – no market’ principle. Substances should not be authorised for the market without data on their safety.  Gathering knowledge upfront will enable us to take better and faster decisions. Simplifying how the authorisation process works is another key goal, to boost innovation and the production of safer and more sustainable chemicals.  For our legal framework to become more effective in preventing harm to health and the environment, we are also looking at extending the generic approach to risk management. This means looking at groups of products and types of hazardous chemicals like endocrine disruptors. Priority will be given to uses where citizens and the environment are highly exposed. REACH is all about results and if we want results, we need effective enforcement. The revision also aims to improve enforcement by setting up an audit system, increased transparency and frequent checks. This would lead to better protection as well as a level playing field for EU industry.  Now, on the timing of the proposal, I want to reassure you that we are working at full speed on the revision of the legal text and the impact assessment. We aim to present the proposal to the co-legislators as soon as it is ready, by the last quarter of this year at the latest.  Now a few words on soil. The EU soil strategy aims to prevent contamination and to restore contaminated and degraded soils. In the context of the upcoming soil health law proposal, the Commission is considering provisions to identify, register and remediate contaminated sites. We intend to adopt the proposal in June.  In addition, the EU Mission under Horizon Europe, called ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, is tackling soil decontamination and soil restoration. This ambitious research and innovation programme includes the demonstration of solutions in living labs and soil monitoring. This is all about types of soil contamination in both urban and rural areas.  Honourable Members, we need your support to achieve the ambitious objectives of the European Green Deal under this mandate. We look forward to working with you and I now look forward to hearing your views.