Focus on… Croatia

Draft EPR scope covering waste batteries to WEEE

In May 2023, the Draft Regulation on Management of Special Categories of Waste in the Environment Fund System was published on the legislation consultation website in Croatia.

The draft, which is based on the delegation provided in the Law on Waste Management NN 84/2021, aims to replace regulations related to extended producer responsibility (EPR) compliance through the Environmental Fund.

A separate regulation to define the requirements for compliance through a collective scheme is yet to be published.

The scope of the draft covers waste electrical and electronic equipment, waste batteries, waste oils, waste tyres and waste vehicles. The draft does not cover packaging.

Most of the EPR requirements, such as design, information, collection, treatment, and distributor requirements, are transferred to the draft without significant changes. They are currently regulated by the:

• Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations, NN 111/2015, and
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Regulations, NN 42/2014

In one significant change from the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations, the draft clearly states that financing of automotive and industrial batteries management is to be taken over by the producer – not by the Environmental Fund as it is for portable batteries.

A new requirement in the draft is the obligation to establish an authorised representative for web platforms acting as a producer. Web platforms will be considered immediately to be producers if the seller on the platform does not comply with EPR requirements.

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