European Policy Work
April 28, 2026
A core element of WEEE Ireland’s compliance activities is our ongoing engagement with European representative networks, including the WEEE Forum and EUCOBAT. Through these platforms, we collaborate with fellow European PROs to share operational insights, align policy positions, and raise member-related issues on common EPR challenges. Recent developments include:
WEEE EPR 2.0 – WEEE Forum has recently called for a strongly harmonised EU framework for EPR and PROs, addressing fragmentation, enforcement gaps and uneven compliance across Member States. The paper highlights the revision of the WEEE regulatory framework as a key opportunity to create a more consistent and transparent system and support the development of a genuine Single Market for secondary raw materials and WEEE treatment services. Key policy focuses include:
- A clear legal definition of PRO roles, governance and financial transparency
- Maintain a clear end-of-life focus in WEEE legislation
- Set realistic, data-based collection targets
- Develop mandated European treatment standards
- Take an all-actors approach to European EPR addressing distance sellers
WEEE Forum Scope, Scavenging and Loss – The WEEE Forum has published a scoping paper ahead of the upcoming revision of the WEEE Directive reinforcing the importance of scope clarity and leakage prevention. The paper highlights inconsistencies in how EEE is currently defined and classified nationally, leading to unequal producer obligations and unreliable EU‑level data. It calls for:
- Clear, harmonised criteria for determining scope
- Regular structured reviews to reflect technological change
- Dedicated treatment of specific product groups such as PV panels and “pervasive electronics”.
The paper also emphasises the need to assess impacts on collection and treatment systems, ensure robust enforcement, and allow adequate transition periods to prevent unintended burdens on existing compliance schemes.
WEEE Forum Small Territories and Islands – Additionally, the WEEE Forum has published a paper examining the specific challenges of operating WEEE EPR systems in islands and small territories, including Ireland. The paper highlights structural issues such as higher collection and treatment costs, reliance on exporting WEEE, limited economies of scale, and administrative burdens that disproportionately affect smaller and island markets. WEEE Ireland fed directly into the development of this paper, contributing practical insights from the Irish compliance landscape. The paper calls for greater administrative simplification, EU‑level harmonisation, and targeted support measures to ensure effective and equitable EPR implementation in countries like Ireland.
EUCOBAT Deposit Return Schemes for Batteries – EUCOBAT has been vocal on their position that DRS is not an appropriate tool for battery collection, particularly for portable batteries. They have addressed several challenges through industry consultation, including:
- Likely reduction in collection points and consumer convenience
- Safety risk, given most lithium-ion batteries are embedded in devices
- Long battery lifetimes make deposits inefficient and ineffective
- Does not address industrial, EV or LMT batteries, where risks are highest