EU Battery Directive

It is desirable to harmonise national measures concerning batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators.

The primary objective of this Directive is to minimise the negative impact of batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators on the environment, thus contributing to the protection, preservation and improvement of the quality of the environment.

The legal base is therefore Article 175(1) of the Treaty. However, it is also appropriate to take measures at Community level on the basis of Article 95(1) of the Treaty to harmonise requirements concerning the heavy metal content and labelling of batteries and accumulators and so to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market and avoid distortion of competition within the Community.

Read the full EU Battery Directive