Easier Rules for Batteries and Factory Emissions

What the problem is
The EU’s rules on batteries and on reporting industrial emissions are too detailed and create extra paperwork for businesses and public authorities.

• Batteries: producers are only counted as “producers” if they sell by distance contract, and the rules on removing and replacing batteries are confusing and can hurt safety.
• Industrial emissions: farmers and fish‑farm operators must report data that they already collect in other ways, adding unnecessary work.

How the problem is being solved
The proposal amends the two regulations to cut the administrative load while keeping environmental protection.

• Batteries –
• A producer is now anyone who sells batteries in a Member State, no matter how they sell them.
• The list of hazardous substances that must be labelled is tightened to “substances of very high concern”.
• Light‑vehicle battery packs must be removable and replaceable at the module level, not at the cell level, to avoid safety risks.
• The Commission’s mandatory four‑year review of battery‑waste data is replaced by a flexible, on‑demand review.
• Industrial emissions –
• Farmers and fish‑farm operators are exempt from reporting water, energy and raw‑material use.
• They can also be exempt from reporting off‑site waste transfers, pollutant releases, production volume and operating hours if Member States can collect the same data by other means.
• The changes keep the Industrial Emissions Portal in place but let Member States decide who reports what.

What changes as a result of this document

• The definition of “producer” in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is broadened.
• The hazardous‑substance list in the battery regulation is clarified.
• Light‑vehicle battery packs are now removable at module level.
• The Commission’s periodic battery‑waste review is removed; data review will be flexible.
• In Regulation (EU) 2024/1244, livestock and aquaculture operators no longer need to report water, energy, raw‑material use, off‑site waste transfers, pollutant releases, production volume or operating hours, unless Member States cannot gather the data otherwise.
• The Industrial Emissions Portal remains but its reporting scope is narrowed for these operators.

These amendments reduce paperwork for businesses and public bodies, improve safety for battery users, and keep the EU’s environmental data collection efficient and compliant with the Aarhus and PRTR conventions.