Some EU governments want to slow down the introduction of standards that would ensure batteries are low carbon, made with ethically sourced metals, and are fully recycled at the end of their life.
To help accelerate Europe’s late start in the global battery race, the European Commission proposed a new Sustainable Battery Law – the first of its kind – with the objective of supporting a competitive domestic battery industry. The new rules will set a new global standard for batteries produced in and sold to the European market to ensure batteries are low carbon, made with ethically sourced metals and are fully recycled at the end of their life.
Unfortunately, a recent compromise text tabled by the Slovenian Presidency late last year puts all of this at risk. Under the guise of protecting industry from ‘excessive administrative burden’ and ‘red tape’, certain national governments at the forefront of slowing down or even opposing the transition to zero emission mobility appear to have secured significant delays to the application of these new rules.
Rather than delaying the introduction of the new regulation, member states should be pushing to accelerate its implementation, or risk seriously undermining the business case for many of these investments.
The risk of overregulating the battery industry. Thus allowing foreign battery cell makers to undercut eu makers on price.