Circular Economy Act

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) has published five independent expert reports analysing lessons from EU-funded projects that could inform the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA).

The reports cover circular public procurement, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), recycled and bio-based content, WEEE and critical raw materials, and regional circular economy initiatives.

EPR

For EPR, recommendations include an EU-wide one-stop shop for producer registration and reporting, more interoperable digital systems and further harmonisation across Member States.

Other proposals concern eco-modulation, PRO governance and the role of reuse operators.

WEEE

The WEEE report highlights measures including binding CENELEC treatment standards, improved recovery of critical raw materials and stronger recycling infrastructure.

Several of these themes are also addressed in ERP’s new policy paper on the future WEEE framework. The paper calls for clearer and more harmonised producer obligations, realistic collection targets, stronger control and treatment of WEEE flows, and better conditions for returning recovered materials to production.

The CEA proposal itself, originally planned for September, is now expected to be published on 11 November 2026, after the Regulatory Scrutiny Board rejected the Commission’s impact assessment.

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