Stay ahead of EU policy! This week we track crucial moves on PFAS restrictions, the 2040 climate target, and game-changing steps in the green and industrial transition!
CEA public consultation: On 6 November, FEAD submitted its feedback to the EU Commission public consultation on the Circular Economy Act.
PFAS Restriction – ECHA Committees won’t assess newly added sectors: On 29 October, ECHA’s scientific committees RAC and SEAC announced that they will not assess the eight new sectors and uses recently added to the PFAS restriction proposal. The evaluation will remain limited to the 14 original sectors to avoid further delays.
Drafting mapping of PFAS use: On 5 November, ECHA published a draft mapping of PFAS uses to support the upcoming consultation on the draft opinion of our Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) concerning the PFAS restriction proposal.
Omnibus VI package – Chemical products: On 5 November, the Council adopted a draft compromise on the chemicals omnibus, presented on 5 November to Coreper 2 by the Danish Council presidency.
Public Hearing on CCS and CCU: On 11 November, the ITRE Committee will hold a Public Hearing on “Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU)”.
4 November Council meeting: On the early morning of 5 November the Council reached an agreement on amending the European Climate Law, introducing a binding intermediate climate target for 2040 of a 90% reduction in net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared to 1990 levels.
EU prepares final climate contribution to the Environment Council: On 5 November, a press release published by the Council, confirmed that the Council approved an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of the EU and its member states, which will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of COP30 (10-21 November 2025).
Joint position paper on Flat Glass in CDW: On 3 November, FEAD published, together with Recycling Europe and FERVER, a joint position paper on concrete steps to make circular flat glass a reality in the Construction and Demolition field.
To unlock the sector’s full potential, we call for:
- Mandatory pre-demolition audits and selective demolition to enable clean and efficient glass collection.
- National collection targets that drive investment and improve recycling performance.
- A minimum of 15% recycled content in new flat glass products to strengthen demand and innovation.
- Reliable traceability systems ensuring recycled materials originate from EU waste streams.
- Collaboration across the entire value chain – essential to deliver true circularity.
Public consultation on revising EU public procurement rules: Open from 3 November to 26 January 2026, the consultation aims to update the 2014 framework to better align it with EU objectives, particularly the green transition.
EU Commission report on Climate Action: On 6 November, the European Commission published a progress report on Climate Action, warning that emissions from transport, buildings, waste, and agriculture – sectors under the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) – could jeopardize the EU’s 2030 climate target of a 55% net emissions cut.
Eurostat statistics on EEE placed on the market and collected: On 30 October, Eurostat published statistics showing the big gap still persistent between Electric and Electronical Equipment (EEE) placed on the market and collected.
Environmental omnibus: According to the agenda of the College of Commissioners, the European Commission plans to present its environmental “omnibus” proposal on 3 December.
Other updates to the Commission agenda:
- The bioeconomy strategy has been postponed from 13 to 25 November.
- The Clean Industry Deal implementation package, including IAA, is delayed from 25 November to 10 December.
- The REACH revision on chemicals is not yet scheduled, following a negative opinion on the impact assessment in September.
Open letter to EU Commission for IAA (lead): On 31 October, a wide range of European organisations, think tanks, and civil society have published an open letter to the European Commission, calling for ambitious lead market measures to be included in the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).
ESPR and IDAA – Parliamentary question on sliding scale for steel: On 23 October, some MEPs from the Greens, the Left, S&D and EPP submitted a question for written answer to the EU Commission on the sliding-scale approach preferred in the context of the labelling methodologies for intermediate products, starting with steel under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act .
Omnibus I – Reporting and Due Diligence: Ahead of the 13 November plenary vote, almost 400 amendments were submitted on 5 November.
