The universal PFAS restriction was first tabled on January 13, 2023, by authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Using a definition aligned with the OECD, it covers more than 10,000 substances.
ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment adopted its final opinion on March 2, 2026, concluding that PFAS pose an EU-wide risk justifying restriction and supporting a full ban with only one derogation, for personal protective equipment. The draft socio-economic opinion favoured a broad restriction with time-limited, use-specific derogations.
The restriction would prohibit the manufacture, use and placing on the market of PFAS above very low concentration limits. RAC recommends thresholds of 25 ppb for any individual PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS by targeted analysis, and 50 ppm for total PFAS including polymers, with a default 18-month transition period.
On September 17, 2026, EU Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi told the European Parliament that ECHA is in the final stages of its assessment. The Commission intends to present its proposal rapidly once SEAC adopts its final opinion.
The universal restriction lands on top of rules already in force, including Regulation (EU) 2025/1988 phasing out PFAS in firefighting foams and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation's ban on intentionally added PFAS in food-contact packaging since August 2026.
