Press release on the EU Battery Regulation

Berlin, 14 June 2023: The European Parliament today adopted stricter rules on battery recycling in Strasbourg. The environmental organization PowerShift welcomes the adoption of the new EU Battery Regulation in principle. On the positive side, the Regulation sets binding recycling and recycling targets. The establishment of human rights and environmental due diligence obligations is also a landmark decision that could serve as an example for further regulations. However, the organization criticizes that important battery raw materials such as copper, aluminum or iron do not play a role in the regulation. Michael Reckordt, resource expert at PowerShift, comments:

"The Battery Regulation is an important milestone for more sustainable mobility. For a real mobility turnaround, however, we need to significantly reduce the number and size of cars. Only through less mining can human rights and environmental protection be sustainably strengthened in the mining regions.”

PowerShift is also concerned about the European Critical Raw Materials Act (“Critical Raw Materials Act”), which is also currently under negotiation in Brussels and is due to be adopted later this year. The environmental organisation fears that the Raw Materials Act could jeopardise progress in human rights protection, for example through the possibility of placing strategic raw materials projects above environmental protection concerns as an overriding public interest in the future or through the fact that certifications still to be created could replace human rights due diligence obligations.

background

The Battery Regulation is part of the package of measures included in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and replaces the outdated Battery Directive of 2006. The Council, Parliament and the Commission started negotiations on the final draft regulation on 20 April 2022.

Press contact
Vanessa Fischer, press officer
0157 547 68 413, vanessa.fischer@power-shift.de