Battery Regulation: discussions begin on it

April 8th, 2021

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have begun consultations on the new Battery Regulation. In the coming months, the two institutions will discuss possible amendments to the European Commission’s proposal: first separately, then jointly within trialogue negotiations.

On 17 March, the Parliament’s lead Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) held a first exchange of views on the proposal. Representatives of the Commission took part in the meeting, as well as the rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs who are the responsible experts from the political groups. In general, the MEPs welcomed the Commission’s proposal.

The rapporteur Antonius Manders (EPP, Netherlands) emphasised the expected positive effects the new regulation will have on the competitiveness and resilience of European industry, as well as on the labour market. Claudia Gamon (Renew Europe, Austria) stressed the importance of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to meeting Europe’s green goals.

All in all, the statements of the MEPs were rather general but, in a next step, the rapporteur will present a detailed report on the dossier including proposals for amendments.

On 18 March, the proposal was then discussed within the Council of the European Union. The Portuguese Council Presidency had sent a document with several questions to the Member States in advance, which was discussed at the meeting.

With regard to collection targets for portable batteries, several representatives stressed the importance of a realistic calculation method that is based on the volume of batteries available for collection rather than the put on market volume.

Moreover, most Member States’ representatives question the need for a regulation and expressed concerns that a harmonisation of EPR requirements may pose a threat to already existing and well-functioning EPR schemes. Discussions within the Member States will continue in the coming months.

The Commission’s proposal for the new Battery Regulation was published in December last year. Landbell Group company European Recycling Platform submitted a position paper and will continue to contribute to the discussions, meeting MEPs and representatives of the Member States.

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