European Parliament Backs Expanded Powers for European Chemicals Agency

The European Parliament has adopted amendments to a proposed regulation that would significantly expand the role and responsibilities of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), reinforcing its authority across EU chemicals management, risk assessment and regulatory coordination. The amendments were adopted on 29 April 2026 at first reading, with the file referred back for interinstitutional negotiations. The reforms aim to strengthen protection for human health and the environment while improving transparency, scientific independence and coordination between EU agencies. The changes could affect chemical manufacturers, downstream users, importers, occupational safety professionals, laboratories and investors monitoring regulatory risk exposure.

Broader ECHA mandate under EU chemicals reform

The Parliament endorsed provisions expanding ECHA’s remit beyond traditional hazard and risk assessment to include environmental sustainability, monitoring of emerging chemical risks and enhanced data generation responsibilities. Amendments also place stronger emphasis on protecting vulnerable groups and promoting non-animal testing methodologies. Parliamentarians repeatedly replaced references to “animal-free approaches” with the broader term “non-animal approaches and emerging methodologies”, signalling growing support for alternative toxicological assessment techniques. The revised text would also allow the European Parliament and Member States, not only the European Commission, to request scientific opinions from ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC). ECHA may refuse or propose amendments to such requests, provided it gives justification.

Transparency and conflict-of-interest rules strengthened

Several amendments focus on governance and public trust. The proposal introduces stricter conflict-of-interest safeguards for committee members and experts, alongside new reporting obligations for attempts to exert undue influence on scientific work. Detailed summaries of committee meetings would become publicly available, and ECHA would be required to publish requests for scientific opinions and updates on their status online. The Parliament also proposed creating an “Assembly of accredited stakeholders” to formalise engagement with industry groups, trade unions, civil society organisations and experts in non-animal testing.

One Health task force gains permanent footing

One of the most notable additions is the creation of a permanent inter-agency task force involving ECHA, EFSA, EMA, ECDC, EEA and EU-OSHA. The initiative would institutionalise cooperation around the EU’s “One Health” and exposome approaches, which examine how combined environmental, chemical and biological exposures affect health outcomes. The task force would coordinate annual action plans covering research alignment, stakeholder communication, capacity building and regulatory cooperation.

Financial and operational implications for industry

The amendments also address ECHA’s financing model. Parliament backed the creation of a reserve fund to manage fluctuations in fee income, while calling for periodic reviews of fee adequacy to ensure the agency can meet its expanding workload. Businesses operating under REACH and related EU chemicals legislation may face increased scrutiny, broader scientific evaluations and evolving compliance expectations as ECHA’s mandate grows. The legislative proposal now enters interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament, Council and Commission.