On 15 December 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published its annual report on exports and imports of chemicals banned or severely restricted in the EU under the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation.
Key findings:
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Overall trade decline: The drop is largely driven by a sharp decrease in substances containing benzene. In 2024, these accounted for 51% of exports (1.1 million tonnes) and 99% of imports (30 million tonnes), compared with 64 million tonnes exported and 65 million tonnes imported in 2023. This resulted in a 97% reduction in total exports and a 53% reduction in total imports of PIC chemicals.
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Trade excluding benzene: Exports of other PIC chemicals rose slightly by 7% (1.03 million → 1.1 million tonnes), and imports increased by 2% (378 000 → 387 000 tonnes).
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Key chemicals traded: Benzene, benzene-containing substances, and ethylene dichloride dominated exports and imports, consistent with previous years.
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Pesticides: Exports increased by 34% (173 000 → 232 000 tonnes), mainly due to chlorate, which contributed 24% of the growth.
Background:
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Data were provided by 553 exporting companies from 24 EU countries and 226 importing companies from 23 EU countries. Some countries, including Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, and Northern Ireland, reported no PIC chemical trade.
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Under Article 10 of the PIC Regulation, national authorities collect annual trade data and submit aggregated information to ECHA for EU-level reporting and public disclosure.
The report indicates a major reduction in benzene-related trade, while other hazardous chemicals show a modest increase, highlighting ongoing shifts in EU chemical import and export patterns.
(echa.europa.eu)
