A political agreement is expected on Friday 9 December between the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, the European Parliament negotiators and the Commission (trilogue) on the proposed 2020 regulation on batteries and battery waste, which aims to improve the sustainability of batteries throughout their life cycle and to foster a European battery market.
The willingness to conclude was confirmed on Wednesday 7 December, at the end of the meeting of EU27 ambassadors to the EU (Coreper). A revised mandate has been given to the Czech Presidency to hammer out a comprehensive agreement at this fourth trilogue (see EUROPE 13040/1).
The following will be part of the package: - the extension of the scope of due diligence obligations and the corresponding deadlines; - the possibility of including manufacturing waste in the recycled content targets (in addition to post-consumer waste), which would contribute to the development of secondary materials markets for lithium and other valuable materials; - the need to raise the level of ambition of the collection, material recovery and recycling efficiency targets for used batteries and the need to move towards a dual legal basis (internal market and environment).
“This final trilogue” will lead to “the creation of the rules of the game for a European battery industry, which will allow us to be less dependent on imports”, according to the chairman of the European Parliament Environment Committee, Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French). Because the regulation is “based on environmental performances which the European sectors will be conforming with, it is an important stake for the circularity of the sector with recycling rates and the calculation of the material footprint of batteries. It is also a complement to the text on CO2 emissions from cars and vans that will help the battery industry to take off”.
Former MEP Simona Bonafè (Italian, S&D), who was rapporteur for this dossier, has returned to Italy. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)