Pollution Surges as EU Fails to Rein In Hazardous Chemicals

(MENAFN) Environmental advocates are calling the European Commission the "chief roadblock" to its own landmark chemicals agenda, warning that "unlawful delays" in regulatory action have allowed nearly 100,000 tons of hazardous pollution to enter the environment unchecked — including toxic substances found in children's diapers and so-called "forever chemicals" embedded in everyday consumer goods.

The damning assessment is laid out in a newly published report titled "The EU's Restrictions Roadmap," released Friday by environmental law organization ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau. The findings expose a widening gap between the European Commission's ambitious 2022 pledges and the reality of implementation four years on.

When the commission unveiled its "restrictions roadmap" in April 2022, it was heralded as the most sweeping crackdown on harmful chemical categories ever attempted by the bloc. But the review tells a starkly different story: not a single regulatory process has been launched for seven of the 22 targeted chemical groups, and progress on a further seven has been effectively frozen.

The stalled restrictions span a troubling range of substances — among them lead in ammunition, linked to chronic kidney disease in hunters; chemicals in childcare products associated with cancer and genetic mutations; calcium cyanamide, a fertilizer known to release carcinogenic compounds; and a bioaccumulative flame retardant widely used in vehicle manufacturing.

EU Reach rules obligate the commission to draft restriction updates within three months of receiving expert guidance. Yet the report found that deadlines were routinely missed, with delays stretching anywhere from 13 to 47 months. The bulk of the estimated 98,000 tonnes of pollution attributable to these setbacks stems from lead in ammunition and fishing equipment — a category that faced a 23-month delay alone. The European Chemicals Agency estimates these sources account for roughly 44,000 tons of lead emissions annually.

Speaking to The Guardian, Helene Duguy of ClientEarth acknowledged that the roadmap's original timeline had been "very encouraging," but warned: "Now we are four years after the initial publication—and things are really not looking good."

Her criticism sharpened further as she assessed the roadmap's latest revision, which pushed back multiple timelines without offering any justification. "The plan doesn't really have a plan function anymore," Duguy said, condemning it as "just like a mirror of the inefficiency and the lack of action by the European Commission."

The European Commission declined to respond to requests for comment.

MENAFN26042026000045017169ID1111033339