On 24 September 2025, the Council of the EU approved its position on the Commission’s proposal to introduce a so-called “Stop-the-clock” mechanism in EU chemicals legislation.

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This measure is part of the ‘Omnibus VI’ simplification package and will postpone the entry into application of the revised CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) Regulation from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2028. The postponement also extends deadlines related to:

• Relabelling and formatting requirements
• Rules for advertisements and distance sales
• Labelling of fuel pumps

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The aim is to give businesses greater legal certainty and prevent confusion caused by overlapping deadlines from different legislative acts.

Companies handling chemical products (e.g. adhesives, coatings, cleaning agents, textiles with chemical treatments) will have an additional two years to comply with the new labelling and packaging requirements.

This postponement does not remove the upcoming revisions to CLP and related legislation, however it delays their entry into force. Substantive changes are still being negotiated.

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Next steps:

The Council’s mandate will now be negotiated with the European Parliament. A swift agreement would give companies certainty on transitional timelines while legislators work on the broader reforms under the Omnibus VI package.

FESI will continue to follow the legislative process closely and keep members informed of any developments that could impact compliance obligations and product timelines.