Join CHEM Trust and HEAL at a one-day conference in Brussels: REACH revision 2025: simpler, faster, bolder

29 September 2025, 8:30am – 5:30pm, Residence Palace – Polak room, Brussels

 

The REACH regulation, introduced in 2006, remains the world’s leading chemicals safety framework. It sets out how chemicals entering and in use on the EU market are registered, evaluated, authorised and restricted.

CHEM Trust and HEAL will host a high-level conference on 29 September 2025. The event will bring together policymakers, civil society organisations, industry representatives and experts, to discuss challenges and opportunities of modernising and simplifying the EU’s chemical safety rules and better protect people’s health and the environment.

The conference will begin with exchanges with decision-makers in the morning and continue with deep-dive sessions on key aspects of improving REACH in the afternoon.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Jessika Roswall, Environment Commissioner, European Commission. The keynote speech will be given by Dr. Marike Kolossa-Gehring, coordinator of HBM4EU and Head of Toxicology, Health-related Environmental Monitoring at the German Environment Agency.

In 2025, the European Commission will present its long-awaited proposal for a revision of REACH. This will present a key opportunity to strengthen REACH’s effectiveness for protecting people’s health and the environment through better and earlier identification of hazardous chemicals and the implementation of risk management measures.

For almost twenty years, the REACH regulation has provided more information on chemical properties and uses than any other system in the world. REACH has made progress in controlling the most harmful chemicals and also contributed to innovation in safer chemicals. However, REACH has not delivered on several of its objectives including achieving a high level of protection, preventing pollution, and ensuring industrial responsibility. 

REACH needs to be updated to become simpler in generating information, faster in controlling the most harmful chemicals and bolder in protecting people’s health and nature.

The conference will provide a platform to highlight the REACH delivery gap, discuss solutions, and exchange with decision-makers and stakeholders. This in turn can feed into the European Commission in the final stages of preparing a proposal.

Register free of charge before 16 September 2025 (limited room capacity)

 

Programme

8:30 Welcome coffee

Welcome refreshments provided on the patio

9:15 Welcome

• Genon Jensen, Executive Director of HEAL
• Michael Warhurst, Executive Director of CHEM Trust

9:30 Opening remarks

• Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, European Commission

9:45 Keynote speech

• Marike Kolossa-Gehring, Coordinator of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative, HBM4EU, and Head of Toxicology and Health-Related Environmental Monitoring at UBA, the German Environment Agency

10:00 Panel 1 | A chemicals framework fit for the future

• Thierry Aartsen, State Secretary for Environment and Public Transport, The Netherlands
• Antje von Broock, Director for Chemicals Safety, Emmission Control, Transport and Circular Economy, German Ministry of Environment
• Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, European Chemical Industry Council
• Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General of the EEB, European Environmental Bureau
• Esther Lynch, Secretary General of ETUC, European Trade-Union Confederation
• Jutta Paulus, Member of the European Parliament in the Greens/EFA, Germany

Moderated by Sue Saville, journalist specialising in health

11:30 Coffee break

Refreshments and small snacks provided on the patio

 12:00 Panel 2 | REACH revision – closing the protection gap

• Rosienne Steensma, Head of Safety, Health and Environment at VNCI, Dutch Chemical Industry Federation
• Christos Vasilakos, assistant to Member of the European Parliament Dimitris Tsiodras in the EPP, Greece
• Christian Horemans, Expert International Affairs, Mutualités Libres, Belgian health insurance fund
• Ulrike Kallee, Head of Substances & Technologies, BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany
• Kristin Schreiber, Director for Chemicals, Bioeconomy and Retail, Directorate General for Internal Market, European Commission, to be confirmed

Moderated by Stefan Scheuer, Chief EU Policy Advocate, CHEM Trust

13:15 Lunch

Lunch provided on the patio

14:15 Deep-dives | 3 parallel sessions on the REACH revision

Discussions in 3 break-out groups.

• Extension of the fast-track restriction procedure
• Mixture assessment factor
• Polymers

15:45 Coffee break

Refreshments provided on the patio

16:15 Panel 3 | Creating a home market for circular and toxic-free products

• Theresa Kjell, Head of Chemicals Policy, ChemSec, Chemical Secretariat
• Raphaëlle Hennekinne, Policy Director for Sustainability, DIGITALEUROPE, European Federation for Digital Technology Industries
• Stéphanie Roland, Deputy Head of Cabinet for Climate and Environment of Jean-Luc Crucke, Belgian Environment Minister
• Veronica Manfredi, Director for Zero Pollution, Water Resilience & Green Urban Transition, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission
• Pelle Moos, Senior Advisor for Food, Health and Chemicals Safety, BEUC, European Consumer Organisation

Moderated by Anne Stauffer, Deputy Director of HEAL

17:30 Closing remarks on behalf of the Danish Presidency of the European Council

• Ida Hannibal, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Danish Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality

17:45 Reception

Walking dinner provided on the patio

 18:45 End of the event

 

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the following funders: the European Union (EU), Sigrid Rausing Trust, Adessium Foundation and Flotilla Foundation. The responsibility for the content lies with the authors and the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU  institutions, CINEA and funders. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the funders are not responsible for any use that may be made in our event.

HEAL EU transparency register number: 00723343929-96

CHEM Trust EU transparency register number: 27053044762-72