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11 WORLD 15.6.2023 ON Tuesday, the European Parliament approved new rules for the design, produc- tion and waste management of all types of batteries sold in the EU. In December 2020, the Commission presented a pro- posal for a regulation on bat- teries and waste batteries. The proposal aims to strengthen the functioning of the internal market, promot- ing a circular economy and reducing the environmental and social impact throughout all stages of the battery life cycle. The initiative is closely linked to the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the New In- dustrial Strategy. With 587votes in favour, nine against and 20 absten- tions, MEPs on Tuesday en- dorsed a deal reached with the Council to overhaul EU rules on batteries and waste batteries. The new law takes into account technological developments and future challenges in the sector and will cover the entire battery life cycle, from de- sign to end-of-life. These are the key measures foreseen by the regulation: • A compulsory carbon footprint declaration and label for electric vehicles (EV) batteries, light means of transport (LMT) batteries (e.g. for electric scooters and bikes), and rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity above 2kWh; • Designing portable bat- teries in appliances in such a way that consum- ers can themselves eas- ily remove and replace them; • A digital battery pass- port for LMT batteries, industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh, and EV batteries; • A due diligence policy for all economic opera- tors, except for SMEs; • Stricter waste collec- tion targets: for port- able batteries - 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030; for LMT batteries - 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031; • Minimum levels of ma- terials recovered from waste bat- teries: lithium - 50% by 2027 and 80% by 2031; cobalt, copper, lead and nickel - 90% by 2027 and 95% by 2031; • M i n i m u m levels of recy- cled content from manu- facturing and consumer waste for use in new batteries: eight years after the en- try into force of the regulation - 16% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium and 6% for nickel; 13 years after the entry into force: 26% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 12% for lithium and 15% for nickel. Rapporteur Achille Variati (S&D, IT) said: "For the first time, we have circular econo- my legislation that covers the entire life cycle of a product - an approach that is good for both the environment and the economy. We agreed on measures that greatly benefit consumers: batteries will be well-functioning, safer and easier to remove. Our overall aim is to build a stronger EU recycling industry, particu- larly for lithium, and a com- petitive industrial sector as a whole, which is crucial in the coming decades for our con- tinent's energy transition and strategic autonomy. These measures could become a benchmark for the entire global battery market." Following the final vote in plenary, the Council will now have to formally endorse the text before its publication in the EU Official Journal short- ly after and its entry into force. Making batteries more sustainable, more durable and better-performing Rapporteur Achille Variati (S&D, IT)

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