EU Opens WTO Comment Period On CLP Classification Transfer Draft

The EU has notified the World Trade Organization of its draft to transfer existing chemical hazard assessments into harmonised classifications. Notification G/TBT/N/EU/1250, circulated on 2 November 2026, sets 1 January 2027 as the final date for comments.

The notification covers hazardous substances under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation, known as CLP. The proposed entries concern suppliers of the affected substances and mixtures. The Commission-services draft has not been adopted or endorsed by the European Commission.

Comment Deadline And Proposed Timetable

The WTO notification names the European Commission's EU-TBT Enquiry Point as the contact for comments. It gives the second quarter of 2027 as the proposed adoption date. That is a proposed timetable, not an adopted legal deadline.

The draft would enter into force on the twentieth day after publication in the EU Official Journal. Article 2 still contains a placeholder for its application date, so the proposal sets no fixed compliance date.

Earlier Assessments Behind The Proposal

The draft's explanatory memorandum identifies Article 37(7)(b) of CLP as the basis for transferring assessments made under REACH, plant-protection legislation and the Biocidal Products Regulation. The hazard properties cover endocrine disruption, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties, and very persistent and very bioaccumulative properties.

Foresight reported on the classification transfer draft on 21 October. The November WTO notification adds an international comment period for the proposal. The notified draft would amend Table 3 of Part 3 of Annex VI to CLP.