The EU Commission has published its working programme for the current year. According to the preliminary schedule released on Wednesday, a legislative proposal revising the EU Battery Directive is to be tabled in the fourth quarter of 2020. The revision will "notably encompass end-of-life and sustainability requirements".
The release of the Commission's new action plan for the circular economy has already been announced for March. In the second quarter, the Commission plans to introduce a proposal for a new multi-year Environmental Action Programme (EAP), which would be the EU's eighth.
A "chemicals strategy for sustainability" is included among the Commission's plans for the third quarter. According to the work programme, the strategy it intends to publish will not be a legislative initiative. The previous Commission under President Jean-Claude Juncker had worked on the interface between chemicals, waste and product law, but no initiatives in this area were launched before the end of the Commission's term.
The new Commission's work programme also includes the routine evaluation of several pieces of existing EU legislation. These include the Directives on End-of-life Vehicles (ELV), Industrial Emissions (IED) and the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
