Helmholtz Stakeholder Workshop on the REACH Revision: (How) Can Chemical Pollution, Competitiveness, and New Approach Methodologies Be Aligned?

Thursday 10 Apr 2025, 09:45 → 14:00 Europe/Berlin

European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations (KoWi), Rue du Trône 98, Brussels

Henry Hempel (Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ)

We are pleased to invite you to our EU Stakeholder Workshop in Brussels on April 10, 2025, where we will examine key positions and possible compromises regarding the upcoming REACH revision. Bringing together around 25 participants from civil society (NGOs), legislation and regulation, industry and trade associations, as well as research and academia, the workshop will provide a platform for open and constructive discussions. The focus will be on striking a fair balance between regulatory requirements and industry needs. Rather than pursuing ideal solutions, we seek to identify practical agreements that reflect stakeholders' key priorities. We are engaging diverse stakeholder groups to identify both practical compromises and fundamental red lines in the REACH revision process. Our goal is to detect potential weaknesses in the proposed legislation early on and develop effective strategies to address them. The discussions will be assessed using a discursive agency approach, and the findings will be compiled into policy recommendations for submission to the European Commission.

Background

In collaboration with various Helmholtz partners, we are working on the Modernizing Hazard Indicators (ModHaz) project, which seeks to refine assessment indicators and integrate them into broader discussions on chemical pollution and competitiveness. Over the past 15 months, we have organized a series of workshops and a parliamentary event in the German Bundestag with stakeholders from Germany, focusing on EU chemicals policy and new approach methodologies (NAMs). The key insights from these discussions have been compiled into a policy brief (see attached documents), which is particularly relevant in light of the anticipated REACH revision proposal in Q4 2025.

We look forward to an engaging discussion and hope you will join us.

1 - Workshop Concept_(How) Can Chemical Pollution, Competitiveness, and New Approach Methodologies Be Aligned.pdf

2 - PolicyBrief_Chemicals_Regulation_SynCom.pdf

3 - Escher et al 2023 Modernizing persistence–bioaccumulation–toxicity (PBT) assessment with high throughput animal-free methods.pdf

4 - Data Protection Information_Helmholtz Stakeholder Workshop on the REACH Revision.pdf

09:45 → 10:00 Arrival and Registration

10:00 → 10:20 Opening Remarks & Round of Introduction

by Dr. Andreas Krell (Helmholtz Brussels) and Henry Hempel (UFZ)

10:20 → 10:50 Impulse Lectures

• The ModHaz Project So Far (Dr. Pia-J. Schweizer, Systemic Risks, RIFS/GFZ)
• NAMs and CTE/PTE (Prof. Beate I. Escher, Cell Toxicology, UFZ)
• Stakeholder Narratives on EU Chemicals Policy: Findings, Current Debates, and Future Research
  (Henry Hempel, Environmental Politics, UFZ)

10:50 → 12:00 World Café

1) Priorities and Trade-offs of the REACH Revision

• Guiding questions: What are your key priorities in European chemical regulations?
  What might be practical compromises, and what are your fundamental red lines in the REACH revision process?

• Hosts: Prof. Dr. Ana C. Zenclussen (Environmental Immunology, UFZ) and Prof. Dr. Ralf Ebinghaus (Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Hereon)

• Location: Small KoWi Conference Room, 8th floor

2) NAMs and the CTE/PTE concept (in the REACH Revision and Beyond)

• Guiding questions: How could New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), such as the CTE/PTE concept, be integrated into CLP and/or REACH?
  Which end points or processes (e.g. microbiome) should be considered in the future?

• Hosts: Prof. Dr. Beate I. Escher (Cell Toxicology, UFZ) and Prof. Dr. Michael Schloter (Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Munich)

• Location: KoWi Conference Room (stay)

3) The Actors of EU Chemical Policy

• Guiding questions: How do you see your own role—and the roles of other stakeholders—in shaping the REACH revision?
  Who has gained or lost influence in EU chemicals policy since you became engaged in these debates?

• Hosts: Prof. Dr. Sina Leipold (Environmental Politics, UFZ) and Dr. Pia-J. Schweizer (Systemic Risks, RIFS/GFZ)

• Location: Helmholtz Conference Room, 6th floor

12:00 → 12:20 Report from Breakout Sessions & Plenary Discussion

by the World Café Hosts

12:20 → 12:30 Summary & Closing Remarks

by Prof. Dr. Sina Leipold (Environmental Politics, UFZ)

12:30 → 14:00 Discussions and Networking over Joint Lunch