Still work to do after European Parliament plenary vote on the Batteries Regulation
EUROBAT believes the position of the European Parliament in the upcoming trilogue will make it harder to negotiate a fit for purpose regulatory framework for batteries. This will hinder batteries’ support to Europe’s decarbonisation path and achieving its energy security targets.
Today, the European Parliament plenary voted on the new Batteries Regulation proposal. The EU battery industry takes note of the outcome of the vote, which is in line with the result of the vote in the ENVI committee in February.
EUROBAT is concerned that the amendments the European Parliament will support in the upcoming trilogue could affect the quality of the final text of the Regulation. This could jeopardise the sustainable growth of the industry in Europe, with knock-on effects for the decarbonisation of the EU economy and for energy security.
The definition of a battery should refer to finished products that are ready to use to avoid additional administrative costs for batteries, modules and packs produced in Europe, compared with ready to use imported batteries.
Finally, the definition of producer, and the allocation the extended producer responsibility, need to consider the market player who has access to the equipment embedding batteries. Hence, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) should bear producer responsibility if batteries are placed on the market embedded in equipment.
EUROBAT President Marc Zoellner, commented:
“We take stock of the vote in the European Parliament plenary session on the Batteries Regulation and call on all stakeholders to address the key stumbling blocks in the proposal during the trilogue. The Batteries Regulation needs to provide visibility to the battery industry, which has been taking enormous steps to reduce its carbon footprint. Without a sound regulatory framework, batteries cannot continue to enable Europe to achieve its ambitious 2030 and 2050 climate and energy goals.”
download the press release here
EUROBAT is the leading association for European automotive and industrial battery manufacturers, covering all battery technologies, and has more than 50 members. The members and staff work with all policymakers, industry stakeholders, NGOs and media to highlight the important role batteries play for decarbonised mobility and energy systems as well as all other numerous applications. www.eurobat.org
