Circular Economy

What are the latest developments? We’ve picked out some highlights for February 2026:

Plastics: Commission unveils “winter package” to support recycling and secondary material markets
Council sets priorities for a more resilient and circular Europe
High-level summary of Eurostat waste statistics

Plastics: Commission unveils “winter package” to support recycling and secondary material markets

In December, the European Commission presented a package of measures aimed at supporting the EU plastics recycling sector and improving the functioning of the Single Market for recycled plastics. 

The initiative responds to mounting pressure on EU recyclers, including high energy costs, volatile virgin plastic prices and fragmented markets for secondary raw materials.

A central element of the package is the publication of a draft implementing regulation establishing EU-wide end-of-waste criteria for plastic waste under the Waste Framework Directive. 

The initiative seeks to define when recycled plastic ceases to be classified as waste and can be placed on the market as a secondary raw material. 

According to the Commission, harmonised end-of-waste criteria are intended to: 

• reduce administrative burden for operators 
• improve legal certainty, and 
• facilitate cross-border trade in recycled plastics

The draft regulation applies primarily to thermoplastic polymers and sets out detailed requirements for input materials, recycling processes and output quality.

It includes limits on foreign material content, obligations to implement certified quality management systems, and the use of statements of conformity for plastic recyclates.

The rules are designed to align with existing EU waste shipment restrictions and to prevent circumvention of export controls for plastic waste.

A level playing field

Alongside the end-of-waste initiative, the package also addresses level-playing-field concerns.

The Commission announced plans to introduce separate customs codes for virgin and recycled plastics and to strengthen monitoring of imports and exports, with a view to improving enforcement and market transparency.

Public feedback on the draft end-of-waste regulation was open from 23 December 2025 to 26 January 2026, with adoption expected later in 2026.

Council sets priorities for a more resilient and circular Europe

On 16 December, EU environment ministers adopted Council conclusions outlining priorities for building a more climate-resilient and circular Europe by 2030.

The document responds to the European Environment Agency’s 2025 assessment and the Commission’s mid-term review of the 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP).

Both of which concluded that current efforts remain insufficient to meet the EU’s 2030 priority objectives of the 8th EAP.

The Council explicitly acknowledges gaps in progress, particularly in climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and the transition to a circular economy.

It calls for faster and more effective implementation of existing legislation, alongside broader changes across sectors to reduce environmental risks and strengthen long-term economic resilience.

On circularity, the conclusions provide political backing for the European Commission’s forthcoming Circular Economy Act, calling for a more coherent framework to support secondary raw material markets, and improve product design, durability and reuse.

The Council also highlights the importance of effective market surveillance, implementation of the ESPR and the phase-out of harmful substances under REACH.

In addition, it encourages the use of pricing mechanisms to help address the competitiveness gap between circular and linear business models.

At the informal meeting of environment ministers scheduled for 5-6 February, Member States are expected to exchange views on the Commission’s recent package of measures aimed at supporting the plastics recycling sector.

Ministers will be invited to identify priority measures and assess whether additional action is needed.

The new Cypriot Presidency, which took office on 1 January, is expected to focus on trade defence and market surveillance tools.

Its aim is to ensure imported plastics comply with EU recycled content standards, as well as on investment support, including the proposed pilot for cross-border cooperation through transregional circularity hubs.

High-level summary of Eurostat waste statistics

EUROSTAT recently updated its statistics on EEE, batteries and packaging data reported by member states for the year 2023.

Here is a high-level summary:

Key take-aways

As regards the collection targets reported for 2023:

• ​Packaging: 16 member states met the 2025 overall recycling (collection) target (65%)
• Plastic packaging: all but Hungary met the 2025 target (25%); Belgium and Latvia have already exceeded the 2030 target (55%)
• WEEE: only four member states (Latvia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Poland) met the 2023 collection target (65%/85%)
• Portable batteries: around 19 member states passed the current collection target (45%); Belgium and Poland exceeded the 2027 target (63%)

For more detailed summaries, interactive charts and downloadable data files, visit EUROSTAT statistics explained.