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ARTICLE · 30 JANUARY 2026

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PFAS Regulation And Enforcement Accelerate In Germany

Jones Day
Jones Day
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") regulation in Germany is accelerating, with authorities increasingly relying on existing waste, water, and environmental criminal law, rather than waiting for new PFAS-specific statutes. Parallel EU measures are reinforcing this trend.

GermanyEnvironment
Françoise Labrousse
Françoise Labrousse
Preslava Dilkova
Preslava Dilkova
Holger Neumann
Holger Neumann
Elodie Simon
Elodie Simon
Bijan Tavakoli
Bijan Tavakoli
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The Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") regulation in Germany is accelerating, with authorities increasingly relying on existing waste, water, and environmental criminal law, rather than waiting for new PFAS-specific statutes. Parallel EU measures are reinforcing this trend.

The Situation: A recent criminal conviction in Krefeld signals a tougher enforcement posture, exposing individuals to criminal liability and companies to administrative fines, profit confiscation, and remediation orders. At the same time, Germany is transposing EU drinking water rules into national law, introducing binding PFAS limits and tighter monitoring, while EU restrictions on firefighting foams and broader class-based controls advance.

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