On 24 June 2026, the Council of the European Union agreed a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament to simplify four EU directives on waste, industrial emissions, and medium combustion plants, aiming to cut administrative burdens for operators and member states. The mandate, published on 25 June 2026, covers amendments to Directives 2008/98/EC, 2010/75/EU, (EU) 2015/2193, and (EU) 2024/1785, and includes ending the obligation for suppliers to submit data to the hazardous substances database, deleting requirements for chemicals inventories and substitution analysis, and postponing the deadline for environmental management systems from 2027 to 2030.
The proposal is part of the EU's broader effort to reduce regulatory complexity and compliance costs for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. The Council's mandate introduces several key simplifications. Under Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, the obligation for suppliers to submit data to the hazardous substances database is ended; the European Chemicals Agency will maintain already-reported data. The Commission's power to adopt an implementing act for waste prevention indicators is deleted as redundant. Under Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions, operators may prepare a single environmental management system (EMS) for two or more installations in the same member state under the same operator or company. The deadline to prepare an EMS is postponed from 2027 to 2030. Requirements for operators to develop a chemicals inventory, risk assessment, and substitution analysis as part of the EMS are deleted. The requirement to make EMS information available on the internet and the mandatory audit requirement are also deleted. The requirement for operators to include an indicative transformation plan in their EMS by 30 June 2030 is deleted. Organic poultry farms are removed from the scope of Directive 2010/75/EU. For livestock capacity calculation, unweaned piglets are not counted; weaners above 20 kg live weight are counted as "other pigs"; a conversion rate for pullets is added. For hydrogen fuel, emission limit values for NOx in Annex V to Directive 2010/75/EU and Annex II to Directive (EU) 2015/2193 shall not apply to combustion plants firing gas with more than 20% hydrogen by volume; member states must ensure no overall annual NOx increase. For oxy-fuel combustion, competent authorities get flexibility to assess compliance with emission limit values. For back-up generators under Directive (EU) 2015/2193, recent back-up generators (>20 MW) complying with Stage V controls require periodic measurements after 1,500 operating hours or every five years. Transitional provisions are moved from Directive (EU) 2024/1785 to Article 82 of Directive 2010/75/EU and amended to cover additional provisions.
The mandate reflects a trade-off between reducing administrative burdens and maintaining environmental protections. For EU producers, especially in the chemical, livestock, and energy sectors, the simplifications lower compliance costs and paperwork, potentially boosting competitiveness. However, environmental NGOs may argue that deleting requirements for chemicals inventories, substitution analysis, and transformation plans weakens oversight and could increase risks to human health and the environment. National authorities face reduced reporting burdens but may need to adapt to new flexibility in assessing compliance, particularly for oxy-fuel combustion and hydrogen fuel. EU consumers may see little direct impact, though reduced environmental monitoring could affect long-term pollution levels. The European Parliament will now negotiate with the Council on the final text, with environmental groups likely to push for stronger safeguards.
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