Overview
The legislative file 2025/0531(COD), titled "Simplification of certain requirements and procedures for chemical products," is an ongoing ordinary legislative procedure (COD) currently awaiting a committee decision in the European Parliament at first reading. The overall status is ongoing. The analysis is based on the provided consolidated summary of amendments, a report overview, key provisions, a procedural narrative, and data on institutional handling and stakeholder outreach. The file concerns amendments to existing EU regulations, including Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on fertilising products, with the core debate centering on balancing market facilitation and safety oversight, particularly regarding the approval process for new products like those involving micro-organisms.
Legislative timeline
The procedure was initiated with a Commission proposal. The European Parliament referred the file to committee on 2025-09-08. The committee report was tabled on 2026-01-09, followed by multiple rounds of committee amendments being tabled between 2026-01-28 and 2026-02-24. The committee adopted its opinion on 2026-02-24. The next key procedural step is an indicative plenary sitting date scheduled for 2026-04-27 for the first reading. On the Council side, recent procedural events are noted from 2025-05-11 concerning the proposal.
Institutional handling
In the European Parliament, the lead committees are the Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). The European Commission's lead department is the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN), under the responsibility of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis. Within the Council of the EU, the relevant configuration is the Environment Council (ENV).
Stakeholder reactions
Stakeholder engagement with EU institutions on this file has been active, with 100 recorded meetings involving 63 distinct organisations. The vast majority of these meetings (99) were with Members of the European Parliament, with one meeting involving European Commission staff. The most frequently engaged organisations include L'Oréal, Polski Związek Przemysłu Kosmetycznego (Polish Union of the Cosmetic Industry), Cosmetica Italia, the Polish Association of the Cosmetic and Detergent Industry, and Cosmetics Europe. The political dynamics within the Parliament, as outlined in the document summaries, reflect this stakeholder context. The EP committee report (AGRI-AM-782300_EN) indicates a fundamental debate, with political groups forming distinct clusters. The PFE, EPP, and Renew groups align in seeking to reduce administrative burdens and accelerate market access, proposing mechanisms like delegating power to the Commission to establish assessment criteria for new materials (Renew, Amendment 35) and clarifying self-demonstration of compliance for micro-organisms (EPP, Amendment 28). In contrast, The Left and the Greens/EFA groups advocate for enhanced precautionary safeguards, focusing on chemical safety, consumer information, and ensuring stricter legislation governs products like GMOs. The ECR group's amendments focus on institutional balance, seeking to constrain the Commission's delegated powers. The draft report is described as overwhelmingly shaped by Parliament modifications, with the committee responsible for modifying 66 original articles and adding 27 new ones through consensus on the rapporteur's proposals.
Key provisions and EP changes
The European Parliament has introduced significant modifications to the Commission's proposal. Regarding labelling for small containers, the Parliament added a new derogation allowing reduced label elements on inner packaging not exceeding 150 ml, provided full hazard information is on the outer packaging, a provision not present in the original text. Concerning digital labelling, the Parliament removed the Commission's promotional phrasing and added concrete obligations, specifying that a digital contact (an accessible email or web form) may replace a phone number on a physical label and prohibiting requirements for registration or specific apps. On hazard communication for distance sales, the Commission text required indicating label elements from Article 17, though the full extent of the Parliament's change on this point is not detailed in the provided summary.