ENVI Committee calls for major changes to Battery Regulation

The planned EU Battery Regulation has cleared another important hurdle. On 10 February, the European Parliament’s leading Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) gave the green light for the regulations proposed by the European Commission – but called for many amendments.

Some of these changes are based on proposals made by Landbell Group company European Recycling Platform (ERP), which is actively engaged in the ongoing legislative process. They include:

• an adjustment of the definition of portable batteries
• the introduction of national authorised representatives for EPR obligations, and
• the obligation for Member States to cooperate in cross-border enforcement networks

However, other ERP proposals, such as calculating collection rates based on available for collection volumes and using the review as an opportunity to harmonize the criteria for EPR fee modulation, were not considered.

Also rejected was the proposal of the Consumer (IMCO) Committee to introduce a deposit refund scheme for batteries. It is now proposed that the European Commission review the feasibility and potential benefits of deposit return systems for batteries by the end of 2025. ERP and industry associations, such as the European Portable Battery Association, had expressed major concerns about this proposal in a joint position paper.

The amendments of ENVI and the other committees must still be approved by the Parliament’s plenary. The final vote is scheduled for March, followed by trialogue negotiations with the Commission and the Council of the European Union.