NEWSLETTER N° 202 – 20 JANUARY 2025

The show must go on… That’s the message the Commission is sending as it presents its fourteen Project Groups while the President, von der Leyen, recoops from a bout of pneumonia!

Batteries and Waste batteries Regulation: On 10 January, the European Commission’s guidelines to facilitate the harmonised application of provisions on the removability and replaceability of portable batteries and LMT batteries in Regulation was published in the EU’s Official Journal. 

Commission Project Groups: Fourteen Project Groups have been established on 10 January by the European Commission to deliver on political priorities. The aim of the Project Groups is to ensure preparation and political steer in the delivery of initiatives from conception to implementation.

Global Temperature: On 10 January, Copernicus published a report that warns that the average global temperature in 2024 ‘was 1.6°C warmer than the pre-industrial level, making 2024 the first calendar year to exceed this level by more than 1.5°C’, 0.12°C higher than 2023.

2040 Climate target: On 16 January, Wopke Hoekstra stated during the ITRE Committee that it is not likely that the Commission will present its legislative proposal for the 2040 climate target in February. 

Microplastic pollution: On 16 January, ENVI Members voted favourably to start the interinstitutional negotiations on new rules to prevent plastic pellet losses and reduce microplastic pollution. 

End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV): The European Parliament reports that on the 16 January, the Commission presented its proposal for a Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and the management of ELVs to ENVI members.

Forever Lobbying Project – PFAS investigation : On 14 January, a consortium of medias, researchers and lawyers (dubbed the Forever Lobbying Project) published an investigation coordinated by the French media, Le Monde, which goes into the price of cleaning up PFAS in Europe: up to 100 Billion euros per year. 

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) – Report ‘Inside the corporate fight against the EU’s PFAS restriction’: On 14 January, the Corporate Europe Observatory, the association specialising in lobbying strategies published a 50-page report on lobbying on the future restriction on ‘forever chemicals’. 

AmCham EU – Recommendations to the European Commission on REACH: The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) published a series of recommendations to the Commission in early January on how to simplify REACH. 

ESPR Work Program – Rethink Plastic letter: On 16 January, the coalition of NGOs Rethink Plastic as well as ECOS and Break Free from Plastic, addressed a letter to Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, urging her to ‘include the plastics and polymer sector in the forthcoming first Working Plan under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)’ explaining that ‘stakeholders agree that the sector must be prioritised’. 

Net-Zero technologies – European Commission study: On 14 January, the European Commission published a study on ‘the net-zero manufacturing industry landscape across the Member States’. 

Civil society and trade union organisations letter to Ursula von der Leyen on the risks of simplification: In a letter dated 13 January, more than 200 European civil society and trade union organisations warn the Commission against the ‘risks of misdirected simplification’ of legislation. 

DG Environment – revision of options for simplification of reporting requirements: Trinomics, in cooperation with WSP and Ricardo, are currently conducting a study on behalf of DG Environment to review options for simplification of environmental legislation reporting requirements, notably from a business perspective. This study does not relate to reporting requirements from CSRD, CSDDD and the Taxonomy. 

European Parliament Think Tank – Study on ‘Benefit of an EU strategic innovation agenda’: On the 13 January, the European Parliament Think Tank published a study on the benefit of an EU strategic innovation agenda.

ENVI Committee: The European Parliament reports that on 23 January, the ENVI Committee will hold an exchange of views with Paulina Henning-Kloska, Polish Minister of Climate and Environment. The debates are expected to focus on the priorities of the Polish Council Presidency.

FEAD News: FEAD is participating to the organisation of a series of events in February: 

• PFAS in Waste: a webinar about Current Challenges and Future European Initiatives in collaboration with Mérieux Nutrisciences on 6 February. More information here.
• Hazards Out | Workshop 1 on 11 February from 2pm to 3.30pm. More information here. 
• The GRINNER Project and Batteries Roundtable Members (WEEE Forum, EuRIC, FEAD, EUCOBAT, Municipal Waste Europe, WEEELABEX) are organising a roundtable on ‘The challenges of lithium battery fires in the management of e-waste’ on 18 February in Brussels. More information here.