Press conference by Simona BONAFÈ (S&D,IT), rapporteur

Strasbourg

press conference

circular economy (T)

BONAFÈ, Simona (S&D, IT)

European Green Deal (T)

EP Press conference - Batteries and waste batteries regulation, laying down a holistic set of rules to govern the entire product life cycle

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAF&Egrave; (S&amp;D, IT), Rapporteur, As has been mentioned this afternoon, we have the debate, and tomorrow there will be the final vote on the regulation on batteries and battery This waste. is a regulation that repeals and amends a previous directive by amending regulation 2019/2020 concerning batteries and battery waste. The Commission has presented a new proposal on which the Parliament has worked, taking into account many of the points that the Commission had defined.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, Before going into the merits of this regulation, I want to remember how today is enough to look around to understand how much the use of batteries is increasingly widespread and concerns our daily lives. I am not only thinking of the batteries used by smartphones that we all have, but also of an increasingly rapid diffusion in our cities of light transport vehicles, such as scooters and electric scooters.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, We know that we will have to increase the share of renewable energy in order to be able to diversify the supply of energy In sources. this scenario, batteries and energy accumulators will be increasingly important. Here, then, is where this regulation has two objectives: the first objective is to protect human health and protect the environment, because we know that some rare materials are used for the construction of batteries. Raw materials that are rare on our planet, and of which our Europe in particular is scarce. However, they are fundamentally important raw materials.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, The other goal that we have is to maintain the battery value chain in Europe. We have seen what happened with photovoltaic panels in the past: there have been incentives for marketing but the realisation of photovoltaic panels did not take place and is not still happening in our continent.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, We want, with this regulation, to create a European battery supply chain precisely because they will be increasingly important in our future, and therefore we are working to strengthen strategic autonomy as well. How do we do all this? Meanwhile, this is the first legislation, and I want to emphasize this, because it is the first legislation that adopts a holistic approach in legislating a product: we have legislation that affects everything, the entire life cycle of the product, from design to the end of its cycle.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, As far as design is concerned: we have included a whole series of sustainability criteria, partly already provided for in the Commission's proposal and partly added by Parliament to reinforce especially the part that concerns the carbon footprint. We asked for a carbon footprint statement from all battery producers and we also introduced a maximum carbon footprint value.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, In addition, other criteria have also been strengthened: I am thinking of the criterion of battery durability, we want batteries that last longer than those currently on the market, the minimum recycled content of batteries, replaceable and removable battery tags even in light vehicles.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, We also required a standard, in order to be able to get to a single charger in a short time. The Commission is already working on universal chargers for mobile chargers. As for the end of life: we have gone to increase the recycling targets and, of course, to demand that there will be a much more incisive separate collection for material. We believe that the level of recovery of some rare raw materials, especially in Europe, should be increased, such as lithium.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, There is another point that we believe is very important in this legislation: this is the first time due diligence has been introduced. We believe that battery sustainability should not only be about environmental sustainability, but it should also be about social sustainability. We want to avoid, in the procurement of raw materials used in batteries, the exploitation of child workers in the mines. It is very important because it is the first time that this is included in a legislation that concerns a product.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, Finally, the import: we asked that all batteries entering Europe comply with the same standards that we ask for batteries that are made in Europe. And we also pushed a lot on the concept of report posing or remanufactoring: operations for battery reuse. Today, batteries are used in many aspects of our daily lives. They will be more and more. We, as a Parliament, have also introduced a new category of batteries for light transport and eco vehicles, and we believe that this legislation is very, very important especially for the future.

SOUNDBITE (English), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Rapporteur, The new category has already been approved in the ENVI committee by a large majority, and I hope it will also be confirmed in Parliament and also in the plenary. Above all, I hope that the Council will proceed quickly by finding a common position to start negotiations as soon as possible, and to have the final settlement: a regulation to be applied directly within the Member States, thank you.

Q&A, concerning the different national positions that emerged during the parliamentary debate on batteries. In addition, the issue of energy independence is also analyzed.

Q&A, focusing on the dialogue that took place between Parliament and private companies on the issue, in particular on battery replaceability. Furthermore, the use of sustainable raw materials available in the value chain of battery production is also discussed.

Q&A, focusing on the direct involvement of private entities and lobbies in the Parliament's decision-making process and on the short and long-term battery recycling process.

Q&A, concerning the due-diligence and the possibility of producing batteries in Europe in a sustainable way and with alternative raw materials.