Overview
The file concerns an upcoming legislative initiative titled “A new Circular Economy Act.” The procedure is at a pre‑proposal stage, with the European Commission currently preparing the initiative. The overall status is “Upcoming proposal.” The analysis is based on the provided file description, procedural narrative, institutional handling details, calendar information, public consultation feedback, stakeholder outreach data, and documented stakeholder positions.
Legislative timeline
The initiative is in its preparatory phase within the European Commission. The next scheduled milestone is a Commission Work Programme entry dated 30 September 2026, which indicates the expected timeline for the proposal’s publication. No further procedural steps have been recorded.
Institutional handling
The lead Directorate‑General within the European Commission is DG Environment (ENV). The responsible Commissioner is Jessika Roswall. In the Council of the EU, the file will be handled by the Environment Council configuration (ENV). No European Parliament committee has been designated at this pre‑proposal stage.
Stakeholder reactions
A public consultation on the initiative received 846 feedbacks from 833 organisations. Sentiment across the main topics was moderate and divided. On the topic of “Circular economy,” which attracted feedback from 806 organisations, sentiment was moderate (divided). The topic “Sustainable packaging” received feedback from 236 organisations, also with moderate (divided) sentiment. The topic “Ecodesign & durability” received feedback from 234 organisations, similarly with moderate (divided) sentiment. Among the most active submitting organisations were Amsterdam Chemistry Network (business association, supportive), AMFEP (business association, supportive), ChemSec (non‑governmental organisation, opposed), BSEF (business association, supportive), and CO2 Value Europe (business association, supportive).
Stakeholder engagement has been extensive, with 552 documented meetings (258 with Members of the European Parliament, 223 with Commissioners, and 71 with European Commission staff) involving 330 distinct organisations. The most active organisations in these meetings were Zero Waste Europe, The European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment, Municipal Waste Europe, Fastighetsägarna, and Scania.
Specific positions from meeting records show divisions on key topics. On “Sustainable packaging,” Landbell Aktiengesellschaft für Rückhol‑Systeme and FEAD expressed opposition, with positions favoring environmental focus, while Air Liquide SA and AIM – European Brands Association expressed support, with positions focusing on reducing costs and regulatory burden for businesses. On “Circular economy,” the European Environmental Bureau strongly opposed and Zero Waste Europe opposed, both favoring strong environmental focus; Eurometaux expressed support, subtly favoring competitiveness; and Fastighetsägarna opposed, favoring environmental focus through promotion of circular business models. On “Ecodesign & durability,” APPLiA, BSH Hausgeräte, and Electrolux expressed support, with positions advocating to avoid double regulation and prioritize finished product performance, reflecting a competitiveness orientation.
Media coverage
No media coverage data is provided in the database for this file.