EU Council and Parliament strike provisional deal to regulate batteries throughout their life cycle

Read the full story at Waste Management World.

Back in December 2020 the European Commission presented a proposal for the regulation on batteries. It was in March of this year that the Council adopted a general approach and the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position. Now those two have reached a provisional agreement that aims to create a circular economy for the batteries sector by targeting all stages of the life cycle of batteries, from design to waste treatment.

The new regulation will apply to all batteries including all waste portable batteries, electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries, starting, lightning and ignition (SLI) batteries (used mostly for vehicles and machinery) and batteries for light means of transport (e.g. electric bikes, e-mopeds, e-scooters). The regulation will replace the current batteries directive of 2006 and complete the existing legislation, particularly in terms of waste management.