Wrapping up April, the past week has seen a renewed push on household hazardous waste collection. Meanwhile, debates on packaging rules, regulatory simplification, and the EU’s long-term budget continue to evolve.
Declaration calls to step up on household hazardous waste collection: On 29 April, FEAD, the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+), and Hazardous Waste Europe (HWE), together with the European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), published a joint declaration as part of the Hazards Out! initiative, calling for increased support and investment in the separate collection of household hazardous waste (HHW) in Europe.
ENVI Members held an exchange of views with Roswall: During an ENVI committee exchange on 27 April discussions covered forthcoming initiatives, including the Circular Economy Act, the updated Bioeconomy Strategy, and the REACH revision.
High-level talks and stakeholder consultations on Circular Economy Act: On 30 April, the European Commission advanced preparations for the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA) through a high-level dialogue led by Commissioner Jessika Roswall and Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, followed by a final stakeholder workshop marking the last phase of consultations ahead of its expected adoption later this year. On the same day, circular economy priorities were also discussed at the High-Level Construction Forum plenary meeting.
Commission advances regulatory simplification agenda: On 28 April, the European Commission presented a plan to modernise and simplify EU lawmaking, including revised impact assessment practices and a new simplification platform. The initiative includes action in five areas: simplicity by design, strengthening the better regulation framework, regulatory deep cleaning, tackling regulatory gold-plating, and faster, robust enforcement.
Commission proposes amendment to waste shipment rules for Switzerland: On 29 April, the European Commission proposed a targeted amendment to the Waste Shipment Regulation to allow continued exports of mixed municipal waste for recovery to Switzerland.
Waste shipment rules raise implementation concerns: On 22 April, a parliamentary question submitted raised concerns about delays in defining criteria for waste shipments for disposal under the new regulation.
Commission consults on battery removability exemptions: On 28 April, the European Commission launched a consultation on a draft delegated act introducing new exemptions to portable battery removability and replaceability requirements.
Stakeholders consulted on Single-Use Plastics Directive: On 29 April, the European Commission continued its evaluation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive after an earlier public consultation closed in March, launching a targeted questionnaire.
Commission study supports bio-based packaging targets: On 20 April, a study requested by the European Commission recommended introducing binding targets for bio-based content in packaging, establishing harmonised sustainability criteria, and adapting recycling infrastructure.
Wastewater EPR challenge returns to court: On 27 April, Medicines for Europe announced that several generic pharmaceutical companies would appeal their case against wastewater extended producer responsibility fees.
Parliament backs €2 trillion EU budget: On 29 April, Politico reported that the European Parliament voted to increase the EU’s long-term budget beyond €2 trillion, approving additional funding for agriculture, regions and industrial competitiveness.
EU-US strengthen cooperation on critical minerals and recycling: On 23 April, the European Commission announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States covering the full critical minerals value chain, including recycling.
Forthcoming debate on European Competitiveness Fund: On 6 May, the European Parliament’s ITRE committee will consider a draft report on the European Competitiveness Fund.
Commission adopts temporary State aid framework linked to Middle East crisis: On 29 April, the European Commission adopted a temporary State aid framework to support sectors affected by the Middle East crisis. The framework targets agriculture, fisheries, transport and energy-intensive industries and will apply until 31 December 2026.
