PURPOSE: to improve waste management in the Union in order to facilitate Europe’s transition to a circular economy.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive (EU) 2018/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.
CONTENT: this Directive amending Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU is part of a package of measures on the circular economy which includes a package of measures on waste, consisting of four legislative proposals laying down new rules on waste management and setting legally binding targets for recycling.
The amending Directive aims to improve waste management in the Union in order to protect, preserve and improve the quality of the environment, protect human health, ensure prudent and rational use of natural resources and encourage a more circular economy.
The amendments introduced aim to:
- simplify the permit and registration requirements for small establishments or undertakings;
- simplify reporting obligations: it is proposed to repeal provisions obliging Member States to produce implementation reports every three years and use exclusively the statistical data which Member States report every year to the Commission;
- improve the reporting of statistics in order for the Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the Member States, by introducing a single entry point for all waste data, deleting obsolete reporting requirements, benchmarking national reporting methodologies and introducing a data quality check report.
- provide that, when preparing the reports on compliance with the targets set out in these Directives, Member States should be required to use the most recent methodology developed by the Commission and the national statistical offices of Member States;
- provide that when achieving the objectives of the Directive, Member States should take the necessary measures to take account of the order of priorities in the waste hierarchy set by Directive 2008/98/EC and to ensure the practical implementation of those priorities. In order to contribute to the objectives set out in the amended Directives, Member States will have to use appropriate economic instruments and take other measures to encourage the application of the waste hierarchy.
Review: in the context of the Union’s commitment to making the transition towards a circular economy, Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU should be reviewed and, if necessary, amended, taking account of their implementation and giving consideration, inter alia, to the feasibility of setting targets for specific materials contained in the relevant waste streams.
- During the review of Directive 2000/53/EC, attention should also be paid to the problem of end-of-life vehicles that are not accounted for, including the shipment of used vehicles suspected to be end-of-life vehicles.
- During the review of Directive 2006/66/EC, the technical development of new types of batteries that do not use hazardous substances should also be taken into account.
The Commission may adopt delegated acts to amend and supplement Directive 2000/53/EC and to amend Directive 2012/19/EU.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 4.7.2018.
TRANSPOSITION: no later than 5.7.2020.