On 7 November 2018, the European Commission adopted a Communication on endocrine disruptors. The Communication lays the groundwork for potential, new regulatory measures that will address endocrine disruptors across different areas in the EU, and beyond.
Currently, the EU legal framework on endocrine disruptors is incoherent. First, different approaches apply to different sectors. Second, different regulatory approaches exist in different pieces of EU legislation that regulate endocrine disruptors. Against this backdrop, the EU will launch a process to assess whether existing EU legislation on endocrine disruptors delivers its overall objectives. In addition, it will set a common definition for the identification of endocrine disruptors. The review and expected new legislation shall provide more coherence.
The European Commission will consult with all stakeholders as it reviews and prepares to revamp the rules on endocrine disruptors. It will also rely on output from stakeholders as it sets out to include endocrine disruptors in the existing international system for classification of chemicals.