The Commission has amended Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation to add long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (long-chain PFCAs) with 9 to 21 carbons, their salts and related compounds. The measure took effect on 20 September 2026 and applies from 16 December 2026, with a small set of time-limited derogations.
What the Long-Chain PFCAs Listing Covers
The amendment brings the Stockholm Convention listing of long-chain PFCAs into EU law by adding C9–C21 PFCAs, their salts and related compounds to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1021. Manufacture, placing on the market and use become prohibited, subject to the limits and derogations in the act.
The regulation entered into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal, which gives 20 September 2026, and applies from 16 December 2026. The Commission is also to start removing the existing entry 68 from REACH Annex XVII.
What’s New
- Unintentional trace contaminant limits for C15–C21: 0.025 mg/kg for the sum of PFCAs and their salts, and 0.26 mg/kg for the sum of related compounds, in substances, mixtures and articles.
- Fluoroplastics and fluoroelastomers with perfluoroalkoxy groups, and PTFE micropowders, get a temporary 15 ppm limit for C15–C21 until 16 December 2030; after that the C9–C14 limit applies to all C9–C21 PFCAs.
- Fire-fighting foams in installed systems: 1 mg/kg for the sum of C9–C21 PFCAs and their salts and 10 mg/kg for related compounds, valid until 3 August 2028.
- Semiconductors in spare parts for finished electronic equipment placed on the market before 31 December 2023: the C9–C14 derogation is carried over until 31 December 2030, and a new C15–C21 exemption covers semiconductors where the substances were initially used in the production of the part being replaced or repaired.
- The text has no separate article-stock provision, so the limits apply to articles generally.
Key Dates & Timeline
Who and What Is in Scope
Industries: Automotive components · Chemicals and materials · Plastics and rubber · Electrical and electronic equipment · Coatings and adhesives
Who is affected: Manufacturers and importers of fluoropolymers and fluorinated additives; formulators of coatings, lubricants and fire-fighting foams; electronics and semiconductor suppliers; automotive suppliers using fluoropolymer seals, hoses, coatings and components.
Products and standards in scope: C9–C21 PFCAs, their salts and related compounds (substances that can degrade or transform into them), in substances, mixtures and articles.
Requirements and restrictions: Prohibition on manufacture, placing on the market and use from 16 December 2026, subject to the trace limits and time-limited derogations above. Where limits are exceeded, products cannot be supplied in the EU.
What Companies Should Do
- Screen fluoroplastics, fluoroelastomers, PTFE micropowders and fluorinated additives against the C15–C21 limits and the 2030 end date of the temporary 15 ppm limit.
- Request PFCA residue data from suppliers of lubricants, coatings, seals and electronic components.
- Check spare-part supply plans for semiconductors against the derogation dates.
- Update declarations and SDS content ahead of the 16 December 2026 application date.
From 16 December 2026 the whole C9–C21 PFCA family is controlled as POPs in the EU. For automotive suppliers the practical test is residue levels in fluoropolymers, coatings and electronics, and the 2030 derogation end dates.
Related: EU strengthens PFOS limits in the POPs Regulation | EU Moves to Ban MCCPs Under POPs Rules
Council of the EU — Delegated Regulation on long-chain PFCAs under the POPs Regulation (ST 12846/2026) — https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-12846-2026-INIT/en/pdf
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