Environmental Omnibus, PPWR, SUPD and MFF (e-waste levy)
Environmental Omnibus
Council adopts position and ENVI drafts EPR simplification reports
On 24 June 2026, the European Council adopted its negotiating mandate on four of the six Environmental Omnibus files, covering aspects such as environmental assessments, industrial emissions, waste reporting and spatial data.
The negotiation mandate constitutes the Council’s position for the upcoming trialogues with the Parliament and the Commission.
In its position, the Council deleted the Commission’s initial proposal to harmonise the maximum reporting frequency for EPR data to 12 months.
Moreover, the Council decided not to proceed with the proposed suspension of the obligation to appoint an Authorised Representative (AR) under EPR, as it was opposed by a large majority of Member States.
In parallel, Parliament is also advancing work on the Environmental Omnibus files.
On reporting frequencies, rapporteur Solis Pérez published her draft report, complementing the Commission proposal by introducing a centralised digital reporting mechanism to be developed under the Circular Economy Act.
On AR, rapporteur Ingeborg ter Laak proposed limiting the suspension to micro and small enterprises under Recommendation 2003/361/EC (fewer than 50 employees and turnover not exceeding €10 million), with a sunset clause tied to the entry into force of the Circular Economy Act or to 1 January 2035, whichever comes first.
In addition, the draft report deletes the provision that would allow Member States to require an AR for producers based in third countries.
Landbell Group company, European Recycling Platform (ERP) set out its concerns regarding the proposed suspension in a discussion paper, arguing that adjustments to the AR framework should instead be addressed comprehensively under the forthcoming Circular Economy Act.
Both texts are draft reports of the ENVI committee and do not yet represent Parliament’s final position. The deadline for amendments passed at the beginning of July, with further negotiations between the political groups still to come.
Votes are planned for October (AR) and November (reporting frequency).
As reported in June’s Compass, a broad industry coalition – including Landbell Group company, European Recycling Platform – is calling for the proposal’s rejection.
Their joint statement flags unreliable and methodologically inconsistent collection data, the conflation of uncollected with improperly disposed waste, and an inherent design flaw: if collection improves, revenues shrink, making the levy either fiscally unreliable or environmentally ineffective.
PPWR
Lobbying intensifies as Member States seek more guidance
With the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) set to apply from 12 August 2026, lobbying has intensified.
In a letter signed by around 100 company leaders, packaging and food and beverage companies called for targeted revisions and delays, in particular regarding the PFAS restrictions on food-contact packaging, recyclability requirements and harmonised labelling rules.
In response, more than 120 companies and associations from the recycling and circular economy sectors urged EU leaders in a joint letter to ensure timely and effective implementation, warning that any delay would undermine investor confidence.
With the EU institutions remaining committed to the August 2026 application date, much of the lobby efforts shifted towards the individual Member States. Czechia led the push for a delay, initially lobbying to postpone the application date.
Together with six other Member States, it then placed the PPWR on the agenda of the Environment Council on 25 June 2026 to provide a consolidated timeline for all delegated and implementing acts and to update the March guidance and FAQs.
Further guidance from the Commission is expected, while a formal delay to the Regulation itself remains unlikely.
Separately, the Commission confirmed a delay to one piece of secondary legislation, the implementing act on the harmonised labelling of waste receptacles. This does not affect the application date of the PPWR itself. A draft, initially planned for August, is now expected after the summer, followed by discussions in the Waste Expert Group and a public consultation.
SUPD
Recycled content calculation for PET bottles
On 30 June 2026, the European Commission adopted a new Implementing Decision laying down updated rules for the calculation, verification and reporting of recycled plastic content in single-use PET beverage bottles under Directive (EU) 2019/904 (SUPD). It repeals Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2683.
The key addition, compared to the earlier methodology, is the introduction of mass balance accounting to cover chemical recycling processes, where the proportion of post-consumer plastic waste in the output cannot be directly measured.
Under this approach, the weight of eligible material at the input stage must equal the weight attributed across all outputs and losses. Attributed amounts may not be transferred between facilities or companies and may not result in a negative balance at any time.
Operators applying mass balance accounting are subject to annual third-party verification, with a reduced frequency of once every three years for SMEs as defined under Recommendation 2003/361/EC.
MFF 2028- 2034
Council publishes negotiating box including WEEE levy
The Council has published its “negotiating box“ for the EU’s next budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), covering the period from 2028 to 2034.
The document, released on 11 June 2026 under the Cypriot Presidency, sets out the issues to be addressed in the budget negotiations.
Among the proposed new own resources, the levy on non-collected waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) remains in the negotiating box at EUR 2 per kg, as originally proposed by the Commission. The levy is still shown in brackets, meaning that no agreement has been reached among Member States at this stage.
The negotiating box is not a final Council position and is not binding on any delegation. EU heads of state and government discussed it at the European Council meeting on 18 and 19 June 2026.
In their conclusions, leaders called on the incoming Irish Presidency to take the work on the negotiating box forward by the October European Council, with a view to reaching an agreement before the end of 2026.
This would allow the adoption of the legislative acts in 2027 and ensure that EU funding reaches beneficiaries without interruption from January 2028.
Further discussions are planned at the special MFF summits on 26-27 November and on 17-18 December. If an agreement is reached, formal adoption and inter-institutional procedures are expected to follow in 2027.
The European Parliament already adopted its negotiating position in April, not challenging the proposed new levy on non-collected WEEE and calling for a budget around 10% above the Commission proposal.
As reported in June’s Compass, a broad industry coalition – including Landbell Group company, European Recycling Platform – is calling for the proposal’s rejection.
Their joint statement flags unreliable and methodologically inconsistent collection data, the conflation of uncollected with improperly disposed waste, and an inherent design flaw: if collection improves, revenues shrink, making the levy either fiscally unreliable or environmentally ineffective.
