EU harmonisation and scope for national bans on PFAS

19.3.2025

Question for written answer  E-001152/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Per Clausen (The Left)

During structured dialogue in the Parliament on 18 March, Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné spoke about the need for harmonisation and regulatory simplification in the EU.

One of the questions raised, which, however, the Commissioner did not answer during the dialogue, concerned how the harmonisation strategy can affect the scope for countries to be groundbreakers in the EU.

Therefore:

How will the campaign to bring about harmonisation affect the scope for individual countries to take the lead and, for instance, introduce more far-reaching bans on PFAS than the EU currently has in place? How, specifically, will it be ensured that increased use of harmonisation will not mean that EU countries have to relax the rules and bans they already have in place on hazardous chemicals? What is the Commission specifically doing to learn from countries that provide more extensive protection against hazardous chemicals than there is at EU level?

Submitted: 19.3.2025