Protection first: EU leadership to deliver safe chemicals with high protection of people’s health and the environment

The European Environmental Bureau, together with around 40 other European NGOs, has issued a joint statement calling on EU leaders to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment. Europeans remain insufficiently protected from harmful chemicals used in homes, consumer products, and workplaces, causing serious diseases and costing billions each year. We call for urgent implementation, enforcement, and modernization of the EU chemicals framework. Legislation like REACH must prevent pollution crises such as PFAS contamination, support EU health priorities -including Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan- and enable a toxic-free circular economy. We also demand that EU leaders reject the chemicals industry’s deregulatory agenda, often disguised as “simplification,” which puts people and the environment at risk.