EU: Statt 27 Registrierungen nur noch eine: Bundesregierung will Verpackungsverordnung lockern

The German government intends to improve the EU Packaging Regulation. On Monday, they presented a proposal to other EU member states, according to trade sources quoted by Handelsblatt. The proposal specifically aims to exempt small manufacturers and replace 27 individual registers with a single central register. Manufacturers would no longer need to register packaging individually in each EU member state, but rather register once on a European level.

The Packaging Regulation has been in force since the summer and was intended to reduce packaging waste in the EU. However, it has created significant bureaucratic hurdles for businesses. Small businesses had warned that the new conditions could force them to cease shipping abroad. Criticism also arose over another aspect of the EU law, which obliges companies to appoint a representative in each EU country who can be held accountable in case of disputes.

For small manufacturers, this represents a significant cost factor. Exemptions for small traders In both cases, the German government plans to make improvements. Sources from the Federal Ministry of the Environment revealed that many small traders, who would bring less than ten tons of packaging material into circulation per year, should be exempt from appointing a representative.

Fees would be incurred for the appointment of such a representative in each case. "These would also be waived if the German relief proposal received a majority in the EU," it was stated. "This would also relieve many small online retailers." The amendments are intended to be made through the planned Umweltomnibus law, which the EU Commission proposed in December but is currently stuck in the Council.

The German government presented its proposal for improvement. EU lawmaker Delara Burkhardt (SPD) emphasized that extended producer responsibility is important to involve the polluter in the costs of waste disposal. However, the exact implementation must not lead to small enterprises being forced out of the European single market.

"Therefore, I advocate an exemption from the duty to appoint a representative for microenterprises within the framework of the Packaging Regulation," Burkhardt told Handelsblatt. EU lawmaker Andrea Wechsler (CDU) also called for a legally secure solution that significantly relieves small and medium-sized enterprises.