EU delays battery due diligence requirement

In October, the European Council urged all EU institutions, member states, and stakeholders to take steps, as a priority, to address the challenges identified in the “Much more than a market” report, by Enrico Letta, and in the “The future of European competitiveness” study, by Mario Draghi. As a result, the Omnibus IV legislative package was adopted as part of an EU effort to support industrial competitiveness and reduce regulatory complexity. 

One such bureaucratic measure is Regulation 2023/1542 on Batteries, which had required battery producers to establish due diligence policies and have batteries verified and subject to regular audits by third-parties. Battery companies will have to report on due diligence practices, including waste management, to mitigate environmental impact and will face other obligations related to the supply, processing, and trade of cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, and nickel used in their products.

That piece of legislation was due to come into effect next month but, on July 18, the European Council approved a law to simplify regulation, in the name of competitiveness, and its main objective was to delay the battery due diligence obligations by two years, until August 18, 2027.

It is hoped the amendment will help battery manufacturers prepare for the regulation and will also give time to establish third-party due diligence verification bodies since several problems have been identified with their authorisation process.

As part of the latest regulation, the European Commission will publish due diligence guidelines a year before the requirements take effect, to help companies prepare for the new regime.

From pv magazine España.