HEAL welcomes the call from 250 scientists urging the European Commission to follow scientific recommendations and include provisions to account for the effects of chemical mixtures to better protect health in the upcoming revision of REACH, the EU’s regulation for chemicals.
EU Heads of State will be exchanging on EU defence, competitiveness, and preparedness matters as part of the European Council. HEAL urges them to strengthen health protection and disease prevention as part of EU preparedness and financing priorities, by placing health protection at the centre of EU climate efforts, strengthening legislative efforts to reduce chemicals pollution and stepping up investments in better health, not pollution.
HEAL together with representatives from the medical, scientific, and civil society sectors, is calling on policymakers in Poland to develop a national action plan to reduce the health impacts of harmful chemicals and to support the revision of EU regulations. The appeal was presented on 10 June in Warsaw during the International Conference Preventing Disease by Reducing Exposure to Harmful Chemicals, held under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Polish Minister of Health, and the President of the Polish Supreme Medical Council.
HEAL response to the articles in the German newspaper DIE WELT “Secret contracts and powerful shadow lobbying”, 7 June 2025 These articles include a series of allegations and insinuations which…
HEAL has sent a letter to EU environment ministers ahead of an Environment Council meeting on 17 June 2025, calling on them to ensure that the REACH revision will deliver the long-awaited improvement of human health and environment protection from harmful chemicals.
NGOs are calling for the European Commission to take immediate and ambitious action to restrict polyvinyl chloride (PVC) under the REACH Regulation in a letter.
HEAL has sent a letter to EU environment ministers ahead of an Environment Council meeting on 17 June 2025, where ministers will be considering the EU's 2040 climate ambition as well as preparedness and adaption needs. The letter calls on ministers to step up in placing health protection at the centre of EU climate policies.
In June 2025 the Health and Environment Alliance is hosting an international conference in Warsaw, Poland, presenting the latest science on health and exposure to chemicals, and an outlook on necessary policy measures. The international conference will take place under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Health and Environment Alliance alongside the NGOs Chemsec, ClientEarth, Ecologistas en Acción and the European Environmental Bureau have provided analysis and recommendations as a response to the European Commission's call for written input in the context of the recent 'Reality Check Workshop' proposal for simplification of the CLP Regulation.
HEAL has given input to a consultation on priorities for the next EU long-term budget 2028-2034. The EU budget sets the framework for public spending on EU policies: Now is the time to set the EU on the path for ambitious investments into protection Europeans’ health against climate and environmental threats, especially pollution.
HEAL has sent a letter to the European Parliament’s Public Health Committee (SANT) ahead of the European Commission's presentation on its new Preparedness Union Strategy — “Reinforcing Europe’s resilience in a changing world” to the committee.
HEAL was honoured to host renowned epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan in Brussels in May 2025. She met with different stakeholders to discuss impact of pollution to reproductive health. To specifically assess sperm decline, Dr. Swan has examined hundreds of scientific studies and conducted her own, which all indicate that sperm count is declining globally. This is the case even when controlling for all variables such as genetic and lifestyle factors.
HEAL's Sandra Jen spoke at a recent webinar organised by the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), to discuss the health impacts of PFAS pollution and specifically their link with cancer.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) held a ‘Reality Check Workshop’ on the potential simplification of chemicals legislation. The legislations on the table: Cosmetics Products Regulation and the Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemicals (CLP). The presented proposals are very alarming: allowing carcinogenic substances more readily in cosmetics and personal care products and deleting the planned CLP update to make labelling in products more legible for consumers and workers.
HEAL has published its key demands for health-protective upgrades to REACH.
The May 2025 vote on the European Parliament’s priorities for the next EU long-term budget (Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034) included many important health considerations, including on financing for measures to prevent climate change and biodiversity loss. Unfortunately, MEPs failed to include financing to address pollution and the related health impacts. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) calls on earmarking at least 10% of the next EU budget for zero pollution objectives across various funding instruments.
HEAL and eight more Brussels-based organisations have sent a letter to EU Commission President von der Leyen and all EU Commissioners, urging them to uphold climate, nature and public health priorities in the next EU budget.
Ahead of the upcoming EP plenary vote on 7 May on the 2023 discharge: EU general budget – Commission, executive agencies and European Development Funds, HEAL has sent a letter to MEPs urging them to stand in support of a strong, independent and vibrant civil society.
HEAL has sent a letter to MEPs, regarding their upcoming vote on A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world.
As the revision of EU chemicals legislation REACH is underway, the Health and Environment Alliance urges the European Commission to uphold its commitments on safer chemicals and ensure that ambitious health protections remain at the heart of the project.
