SG 125/26
Serbia updates chemical legislation to further align with EU requirements
Serbia’s ‘Regulation on Restrictions and Prohibitions on the Production, Placing on the Market and Use of Chemicals’ establishes restrictions and prohibitions on hazardous chemicals and products that pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment (‘the Regulation’, Official Gazette of Serbia (OGS) No 90/2013-83, current consolidated text to OGS No 82/2026-28)
The Regulation is broadly aligned with provisions from three pieces of EU legislation:
- Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 ‘Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals’ (Annex XVII of REACH, current consolidated version to June 2026 for reference)
- Part A to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants (POP Recast Regulation, current consolidated version to January 2026 for reference)
- Directive 2004/42/EC on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products’ (current consolidated version to July 2021 for reference)
On September 4, 2026, Serbia issued OGS No 82/2026-28 to amend two lists of hazardous chemicals in the Regulation: one list relates to restricted dangerous substances, mixtures and articles, while the other relates to prohibited POP substances
What does this regulation require?
Key changes in OGS No. 82/2026-28 include:
- Introducing restrictions for diisocyanates into the list of restrictions and prohibitions on the production, placing on the market and use of certain dangerous substances, mixtures or articles (entry 74, Part 1 of Annex 1)
- Updating the list of prohibited POP substances by introducing three POP chemicals (methoxychlor, UV-328 and dechlorane plus (DP)) and revising the requirements for several polybrominated flame retardants (Annex 2, see Tables 1 and 3 [BC1.1] below for changes)
| Annex 2 of the Regulation (List of prohibited POP substances) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POP substance | Scope | Exemption as an impurity | Effective date |
| Entry 30 Methoxychlor¹ |
| ≤ 0.1 mg/kg | From September 12, 2026 |
| Entry 31 UV-328² |
| ≤ 100 mg/kg | Until August 3, 2027 |
| ≤ 10 mg/kg | Until August 3, 2029 | ||
| ≤ 1 mg/kg | From August 4, 2029 | ||
| Entry 32 DP, including its syn- and anti-stereoisomers³ |
| ≤ 1,000 mg/kg | Until April 15, 2028 |
| ≤ 1 mg/kg | After April 15, 2028 | ||
| ¹Refers to any possible isomer of dimethoxydiphenyltrichloroethane or any combination thereof ²Contains time-limited derogations for placing on the market of UV-328 present in articles and their use ³Contains time-limited derogations for placing on the market and use of DP | |||
Table 1. Inclusion of entries 30-32 to the list of prohibited POP substances under Annex 2 of the Regulation as per OGS No. 82/2026-28.
The three newly added POP substances have a variety of uses and these are summarized in Table 2.
| Item | POP substance | Description and uses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methoxychlor |
|
| 2 | UV-328 |
|
| 3 | DP, including its syn- and anti-isomers |
|
Table 2.
| Substance | Scope¹ | Exemption as an impurity | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| ≤ 10 mg/kg (sum) | September 12, 2026 |
| ≤ 350 mg/kg (sum) | Until December 29, 2027 | |
| ≤ 200 mg/kg (sum) | December 30, 2027 | ||
The following products containing or made of recovered materials containing tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta- and deca-BDE:
| ≤ 350 mg/kg (sum) | Until May 16, 2027 | |
| ≤ 10 mg/kg (sum) | From December 7, 2027 | ||
| ¹The production, placing on the market and use of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is permitted in accordance with the regulations governing the limits on the content of hazardous substances in these products ²Except food contact materials and articles | |||
Table 3. Revised requirements for tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta- and deca-BDE under the list of prohibited POP substances in Annex 2 of the Regulation as per OGS No. 82/2026-28.
Serbia may further update its restricted chemicals list to align more closely with Annex XVII of REACH by including:
- Dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) under entry 70 of Annex I of the Regulation
- Undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances
- N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC)
- 1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-one (NEP)
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams
- 2,4-dinitrotoluene
Who is impacted?
OGS No. 82/2026-28 affects stakeholders across the consumer products supply chain, including manufacturers, importers, retailers and other intermediaries operating in Serbia.
When does it apply?
The Regulation entered into force on September 12, 2026 (eight days after publication in the Official Gazette of Serbia).
We are committed to providing information about regulatory developments for consumer products as a complimentary service. Through our global network of experts and laboratories, we provide a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. Contact us to learn more, or visit our website. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested.
© SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. This publication or website is a property of SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. All contents including website designs, text, and graphics contained herein are owned by or licensed to SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA. The information provided is for technical and general information purposes only and offers no legal advice. The information is no substitute for professional legal advice to ensure compliance with the applicable laws and regulations. All information is provided in good faith “as is”, and SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, and does not warrant that the information will be error-free or meet any particular criteria of performance or quality.
