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On Thursday 29 January 2026, Luxembourg’s Environment Agency shared the results of an EU-wide targeted enforcement project on non-compliance in imported substances, mixtures and products, with 109 non-compliances identified in Luxembourg.
The Environment Agency, under Luxembourg’s Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, took part in the European project, known as REACH-EN-FORCE-12 (REF-12), in close cooperation with the Customs and Excise Agency.
The initiative, coordinated by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), focused on verifying compliance of imported goods with European requirements on the registration, restriction and authorisation of chemicals under the REACH Regulation.
The report, published in December 2025, showed that inspectors in Luxembourg focused on the presence of prohibited heavy metals in costume jewellery, including lead, cadmium and nickel. Inspectors checked sixteen consignments, testing a total of 161 articles. Of these, fourteen contained lead and eight contained cadmium above authorised limits, while nickel release exceeded the limit in 87 cases.
The authorities said the inspection resulted in the destruction of all non-compliant items and a ban on their placement on the market.
In 29 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), inspectors carried out a total of 2,603 targeted checks to verify compliance of imports with the registration, restriction and authorisation requirements of European chemicals legislation, within the framework of the REACH Regulation.
