The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is urging a sharper focus on targeted research to close persistent gaps in environmental risk assessment, as it pushes to strengthen chemical safety decision-making across the European Union.
In its updated Key Areas of Regulatory Challenge Report, ECHA calls for expanded scientific work to better understand how chemicals interact with ecosystems, how pollution spreads, and how regulators can respond with faster, evidence-based tools.
The agency says the goal is to reinforce the scientific foundation behind EU chemicals regulation while supporting safer innovation, circular economy goals, and environmental protection.
The revised report broadens its regulatory science priorities, highlighting urgent needs tied to pollution control and biodiversity loss. It stresses that improved evidence is essential for evaluating environmental impacts at scale and ensuring chemical safety keeps pace with emerging risks.
Among the newly identified research priorities are three key areas: the environmental impacts of chemicals at ecosystem level, aimed at strengthening the link between risk assessment, biodiversity protection and socio-economic decision-making; the mobility of persistent substances, including better methods and models to track contaminants that spread through water systems; and resistance to biocides, calling for harmonised approaches to assess risks and maintain treatment effectiveness.
Sharon McGuinness, ECHA’s Executive Director, said: "This report reflects ECHA’s strengthened focus on regulatory science, aligning with our vision of chemical safety through science, collaboration and knowledge. We encourage the research community to read the report and work to build the evidence base for future decision-making on chemicals safety.
"The establishment of our new Science Council will ensure our scientific efforts are consistent across the Agency and closely linked to our regulatory needs."
ECHA said the report is part of its evolving research agenda and is intended as a practical guide for scientists and policymakers, identifying where new scientific advances can deliver the greatest regulatory impact. It also underlines that the list of research needs is not exhaustive.
Originally developed under the Partnership for the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals (PARC), the agenda supports a wider European effort to modernise chemical risk assessment and strengthen collaboration between researchers and regulators.
