EUROPEAN UNION
EU Generic PFAS restriction proposal: end of the public consultation on the SEAC Opinion. The Draft Opinion of the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) was submitted for a 60-day public consultation which ended on 25 May. The first submissions are available in a consolidated document on the restriction’s page of ECHA’s website.
The SEAC will now work on the elaboration of its final Opinion, which is expected by the end of the year. It will then be transmitted to the Commission alongside the Opinion of the Risk-Assessment Committee (RAC). Both will contribute to the Commission’s decision-making in the elaboration of the draft restriction text.
Once issued, the draft will be submitted for examination to the REACH Committee. It is only after having received a favourable vote by the Committee that the restriction will be ready for adoption. The timing of such adoption thus remains uncertain.
Commission weighs options for eight sectors omitted from the RAC and SEAC Opinions.The Commission is weighing on how to address eight sectors which had been added by the Dossier Submitters to the Restriction Dossier in an update from 2025 and were thus not covered by the RAC and SEAC Opinions. These include printing, sealing, machinery, military applications, explosives, technical textiles, broader industrial uses (e.g. solvents and catalysts) and certain medical applications (e.g. immediate packaging).
Several options are being considered, including the issuance of a new mandate for ECHA’s committees to undertake a detailed assessment. The SEAC in its draft Opinion recommended that, were information is lacking, a comprehensive, sector-by-sector assessment be conducted, with the granting of time-limited derogations in the meantime. The ultimate decision is in the hands of the Commission, which announced that it will take its decision on those remaining sectors once it receives the two final Opinions (i.e. by the end of 2026, perhaps sometime in 2027).
Commission invites stakeholders to a dialogue on PFAS pollution. The Commission has convened stakeholders on 27 April and 15 June to a dialogue on PFAS pollution, addressing its sources, its impacts and available remedies and substitution options.
New limit values for PFAS in groundwater and surface water. Directive (EU) 2026/805 setting out new limits for PFAS in groundwater and surface water entered into force on 11 May. For groundwater, its sets a limit of 0,1 µg/l for the sum of PFAS, while the sum of four PFAS (PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, PFNA) is limited at 0,0044 µg/l. In surface water, the sum of 25 PFAS (including TFA) is also subject to new limits. All these targets aim to achieve a good water chemical status by 22 December 2039.
Risk Assessment Committee discusses new hazard classifications for TFA. The RAC adressed in the context of its meeting of 1-5 June the classification of trifluoroacetic acid (‘TFA’) as acute toxic via dermal, oral and inhalation routes, STOT RE, toxic for reproduction and PMT/vPvM under the CLP Regulation. This follows the submission of a harmonized classification Dossier by Germany back in 2024. The RAC is expected to adopt its opinion on the classification by 17 October 2026, which will serve as a basis for the Commission’s ultimate decision on classification.
EU MEMBER STATES & UNITED KINGDOM
FRANCE – NGOs sue France over inaction on PFAS. Three NGOs and six European citizens are suing France before the Paris Administrative court. They argue that the country is not doing enough to address the issue of PFAS pollution. They are asking the court to order the State to cease all PFAS discharges into the environment promptly and to implement ‘polluter pays’ mechanisms to cover the costs of the pollution. They argue that France has failed its mission to protect its citizens and lacked diligence by only informing the public after a scandal broke in May 2022.
FRANCE – Consultation has started on the PFAS water pollution levy. The draft implementing Decree establishing the list of PFAS substances covered by the country’s new water pollution levy was subject to public consultation until 8 May. The levy was introduced under the law of 27 February 2025 and confirmed in the 2026 Finance Law. It is set at 1 euro per gram of PFAS, with a possible reduction for companies that apply an efficient cleaning method. Representatives of the industry reportedly called for a postponement of the application of the levy for TFA at least until 1st March. It is currently set to begin in September 2026. They claim that current measurement methods lack reliability.
FRANCE – Government proposes first set of measures to regulate sewage sludge. A Circular from 27 April 2026 organizes the monitoring of the presence of 52 PFAS from 2026 in sewage sludge stemming from the largest urban and industrial wastewater treatment installations, destined to be used in agriculture. Depending on the quantity measured, authorities may decide to redirect the sludge towards other streams or have it destroyed. Several ministerial orders will be issued during the summer, to set a framework for 2027.
This follows the previous issuance of an Order on 20 April setting out new limits on the measurement of TFA in urban wastewater treatment installations.
UNITED KINGDOM – UK Parliamentary Committee Report on PFAS Risks. Last month, we reported that the Environmental Audit Committee (“EAC”) (a parliamentary committee) had issued a report outlining the findings of a year long inquiry, expressing concerns with the current regulation of PFAS substances in the UK, and making a number of recommendations to Government. While the Government response is still outstanding, the EAC report (and in particular its recommendation for a group-based restriction of PFAS) has attracted high profile press attention.
UNITED KINGDOM – University Publishes Study on PFAS. In mid-May, the University of Plymouth and Marine Conservation Society published research detailing PFAS levels in the Solent rider. PFOS levels in particular were found to ‘exceed UK and EU legal safety limit for coastal waters by more than thirteen times at the sampling sites tested’. An earlier study by the same team was cited in Parliament in 2024 in the context of calling for statutory limits on PFAS in drinking water, so it stands to reason that this latest publication may also feature in future policy discussions.
UNITED KINGDOM – Consultation on Revision of POPs Legislation Closes. Certain PFAS are persistent organic pollutants (“POPs”). This month, the Government closed its call for comments on a revised draft indicative list for long-chain PFCAs, PFOA and PFHxS, their salts and related compounds. Long chain PFAS were added to Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on POPs in 2025, and as a signatory the UK is required to implement restrictions on these substances at national level. Two other substances listed in the consultation (dechlorane plus and UV-328) were temporarily added to the UK’s POPs Regulation in 2025 before being removed following feedback from industry. The UK government ran an 8-week consultation with industry to seek opinions on the impact of these restrictions. On account of these substances’ varied applications, it is expected that the most affected stakeholders will be those involved in supply chains for adhesives, sealants, plastics, semiconductors, and various machinery types.