Batteries

Community legislation on batteries applies to all batteries (exception: batteries used in equipment connected with the protection of Member States' essential security interest and batteries in equipment designed to be sent to space).

The Directive aims at minimising the negative impacts of batteries and accumulators on the environment and also harmonising requirements for the smooth functioning of the internal market. To achieve these objectives, the Directive introduces measures to prohibit the marketing of some batteries containing hazardous substances. It contains measures for establishing schemes aiming at high level of collection and recycling of batteries with quantified collection and recycling targets. The Directive sets out minimum rules for producer responsibility and provisions with regard to labelling of batteries and their removability from equipment.

Legislation

Summary of EU Waste Legislation on Batteries and Accumulators

New Legislation

• Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC entered into force on 26 September 2006. Consolidated version.

• Corrigendum to Article 12(4) of the Directive 2006/66/EC

• Directive 2008/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008 amending Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission.

• Directive 2008/103/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 amending Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators as regards placing batteries and accumulators on the market

• Commission Decision 2008/763/EC establishing, pursuant to Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, a common methodology for the calculation of annual sales of portable batteries and accumulators to end-users

• Commission Decision 2009/603/EC establishing requirements for registration of producers of batteries and accumulators in accordance with Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

• Q&A on the Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC

Process leading to the new legislation

• The Commission Proposal has gone through the co-decision procedure between the European Parliament and Council - you can follow the progress of the Proposal in the Prelex database.

• Extended Impact Assessment prepared by the Commission Services (pdf~500K) in preparation of its original proposal (Press Release )

Old Legislation

Directive 2006/66/EC repeals and replaces the existing Community legislation on batteries:

• Directive 91/157/EEC on batteries and accumulators containing dangerous substances
  
  
• Commission Directive 93/86/EEC adapting to technical progress Council Directive 91/157/EEC on batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances
  
  
• Directive 98/101/EC adapting to technical progress Council Directive 91/157/EEC on batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances

Studies

• Final report of the study establishing harmonised methods to determine the capacity of all portable and automotive batteries and rules for the use of the label indicating the capacity of these batteries by Bio Intelligence (pdf~3Mb), September, 2008
  

• Executive summary (pdf~150Kb) & Summary table (pdf~88Kb)
  

• Bio Intelligence "Impact Assessment on Selected Policy Options for Revision of the Battery Directive" July 2003 (pdf~180K)

• Substitution of Rechargeable NiCd Batteries
  

• Study on the calculation of recycling efficiencies and implementation of export article (Art. 15) of the Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC

  • Final report (pdf~2,8Mb), May, 2009

Workshops

• Workshop on "Capacity labelling of portable and automotive batteries", Brussels, 19 December 2008

The Commission is organising a technical Expert Workshop on "Capacity labelling of portable and automotive batteries", which is scheduled to take place on 19 December 2008 in Brussels.

• Background document

A study conducted by Bio Intelligence on the capacity labelling of portable and automotive batteries can be found here.

• Power point presentation on this study
• EPBA presentation & position paper (critique & recommendation)
• RECHARGE presentation & position paper (A, B & C)
• EUROBAT presentation & position paper
• EICTA position paper

Stakeholders interested in participation are kindly invited to send their attendance requests to: ruska.kelevska@ec.europa.eu. Since the number of places is limited, the requests will be accepted on the "first come – first served" basis. Please note that there will be no interpretation (the workshop's working language will be English), and that the Commission cannot reimburse the costs of participation to this workshop.