Environmental compliance

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

Batteries: EU proposes simpler removability and replacement rules

Simplification: discussions on EU Environmental Omnibus continue 

Batteries: EU proposes simpler removability and replacement rules

As part of its broader simplification agenda, the European Commission is also assessing possible adjustments to the removability and replaceability requirements under the EU Battery Regulation. According to a Commission reply to the European Parliament, additional derogations for certain product categories are being considered in order to address technical and design constraints identified during implementation.

The discussion relates to Article 11 of the Battery Regulation adopted in 2023, which sets out requirements for the removability and replaceability of portable batteries. Among the options under consideration is a shift from cell-level to module-level replaceability in specific applications, allowing batteries to be replaced at a higher assembly level.

The Commission plans to adopt a delegated act in the second quarter of 2026 to supplement Article 11 to implement the changes. In parallel, the file is being discussed as part of the wider Omnibus simplification package, with the aim of concluding the legislative process by the end of 2026. However, discussions in the Council are proving lengthy, as the Omnibus is being debated as one package.

In the European Parliament, the file is currently awaiting further consideration in the Environment Committee (ENVI), which is leading on the dossier. On 24 March, Susana Solís Pérez (EPP, Spain) was appointed as rapporteur, and her draft report is expected to be presented in one of the coming ENVI meetings – marking the next step in the parliamentary process.

Simplification: discussions on EU Environmental Omnibus continue

EU leaders have called for accelerated progress on all omnibus packages, including the Environmental Omnibus Package, with the European Council urging co-legislators to deliver concrete results by the end of the year as part of its broader competitiveness and simplification agenda. The Commission has also been asked to eliminate outdated regulatory provisions (including secondary legislation) that are considered outdated, redundant, or that overlap with present inconsistencies, and to further speed up planning and permit procedures.

In EU Parliament, the leading ENVI committee has split the Environmental Omnibus into three parts for deliberations, with the EPP now taking the lead on EPR topics, assigning Ingeborg Ter Laak as Rapporteur. ENVI will however still vote upon all aspects of the omnibus, and it will be debated as one package, which will likely lead to delays.

As legislative discussions progress, several member states have raised concerns about proposed changes to extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules, in particular plans to suspend the obligation for EU-based companies to appoint authorised representatives in Member States where they are not established until 1 January 2035. The proposal would apply across several product categories, including batteries, packaging and packaged products, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), and certain single-use plastic items.

The Commission has launched a stakeholder consultation on the omnibus proposals, with feedback accepted via the “Have Your Say” portal until 7 May 2026. The feedback will be summarised by the Commission and fed into the ongoing legislative discussions in the European Parliament and Council.  Landbell Group intends to contribute a discussion paper, outlining the potential positive and negative impacts anticipated from the proposed changes.

The Commission is expected to present a roadmap for the wider EU simplification agenda at the informal summit on 23 and 24 April in Cyprus, with endorsement by the Parliament and the Council to follow.