EU | Automotive regulatory
New EU Batteries Directive coming soon
The evaluation of the EU Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators carried out by the European Commission may result in a new Batteries Directive already in autumn 2020.
In 2019, the European Commission announced its intention to review EU Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators. After a public feedback period that ran from 28 May 2020 to 9 July 2020, the adoption of a new directive is planned for the 3rd quarter of 2020.
According to the EU Commission, the review of the Batteries Directive has been necessary to improve the competitiveness of strategic value chains, to support the electrification of road transport and to decarbonise the EU economy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Moreover, the existing provisions did not address several important issues such as the second life of batteries and their remanufacturing, which should now change with the new directive.
As it is stated in the Impact Assessment published by the Commission, main objectives of the new directive are, among others:
- Updating current concepts and definitions (e.g. lifetime, hazardous substances)
- Defining sustainability requirements for batteries to be placed on the EU market, including responsible sourcing of raw materials, hazardous substances, carbon footprint, 4 mandatory level of recycled content and durability, reusability and recyclability conditions
- Establishing information and labelling requirements for both economic operators and end-users, in particular to provide guidance on the use and end-of-life stages
The full version of the Impact Assessment is available on the dedicated website of the European Commission: Link. As soon as the draft of the new directive is ready, it should be also available there.
For further Information on this topic please contact us!