German government seeks to ease new EU packaging rules for small firms
The German cabinet announced a proposal to relax the EU packaging regulation that took effect in August, aiming to reduce administrative burdens on small producers.
The federal government has put forward a precise proposal to unwind parts of the EU packaging regulation that became active in August. Under the draft, manufacturers that place under ten tonnes of packaging on the market annually would be exempt from designating a packaging representative in every EU state where their products are sold. A unified European register would supplant the 27 national registers currently used for recycling monitoring.
Authorities contend that one outlet rules impose disproportionate bureaucracy on small enterprises, threatening their viability. The Bundesbank’s recent survey of 7,000 firms indicated that compliance costs have risen from five to seven percent of annual turnover. While the government praises the initiative, critics warn it signals a broader pattern of top-down EU mandates followed by national attempts to mitigate their impact.
