Germany Adopts Chemical Industry Agenda and Calls for Simplifications in REACH

At the end of March, the German government presented its national chemicals agenda. It aims to use these measures to put the struggling chemical industry back on the right track. The top priorities include reducing electricity costs and cutting the red tape required by EU chemicals legislation.

Under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie: BMWE), representatives from companies, associations, social partners, federal states, and federal ministries, have launched a joint strategy for the future of the German chemical industry through 2045: The Chemicals Agenda 2045.

Statement on REACH

The authors support a revision of REACH that does not reopen the underlying legal act. In other words, they reject a comprehensive reform of REACH. The federal government also rejects selective amendments to the REACH Regulation and its annexes – through another omnibus procedure, for example. However, the basic structure of REACH shall remain untouched. This structure includes:

Registration of substances and data requirements for manufacturers
Evaluation by authorities
Authorization/restriction of particularly hazardous substances
Core principle of “no data, no market”

They support selective relief measures, including those related to:

Deadlines or information requirements
Digitization of substance dossiers
Adaptation of test methods
Procedures

Statement on handling PFAS

The Chemicals Agenda aims to maintain scientific risk assessment as a core element of EU chemicals management. It favors a risk-based, differentiated, and targeted approach, depending on the use of substances and substance groups. It also calls for appropriate transition periods and exemptions where PFAS-free alternatives or alternative technologies are missing.

REACH 2.0 on hold

As part of the Green Deal, the European Commission had planned a comprehensive reform of REACH. However, in 2025, the European Commission’s internal oversight body responsible for reviewing the quality of legislative proposals, the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, criticized the draft. It found the risk assessment for health and the environment insufficient, the data on substances incomplete, and the cost and impact assessment unclear.

Next steps

The implementation phase begins with the publication of the agenda. To support the process, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is establishing a steering committee led by a State Secretary.

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