Opinion of the EESC on Commission proposal for a Regulation on Sustainability requirements for batteries in the EU

On 10 December 2020, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council [COM(2020) 798 final 2020/0353 (COD)] concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC of 6 September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and modifying Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 of 20 June 2019 on market surveillance and compliance of products.

The proposed regulation aims to develop an EU framework covering the whole life cycle of batteries, including harmonised and more ambitious rules for batteries, components, battery waste and recycled materials.

The main objectives of this regulation are to improve the sustainability of batteries throughout their life cycle, ensuring minimum sustainability requirements for batteries placed on the EU internal market, to increase the resilience of the EU battery supply chain by promoting the circular economy, and to reduce environmental and social impacts at all stages of the life cycle of batteries.

This includes encouraging the production of high quality and efficient batteries and placing them on the EU market, enhancing and exploiting the potential of EU primary and secondary battery raw materials, ensuring that they are efficiently and sustainably produced, and ensuring the proper functioning of secondary raw material markets and related industrial processes.

With this regulation, the Commission is committed to promoting innovation and the development and implementation of EU technical expertise.

Read the European Economic and Social Committee Opinion on the proposal.