What’s Cooking with the Circular Economy Act?
Momentum is building fast around the EU’s upcoming Circular Economy Act, with significant developments between April and June 2025 providing important insights into what to expect.
1. Insights from the EESC Circular Economy Stakeholder Dialogue (10 April 2025)
At the recent Circular Economy Stakeholder Dialogue hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a strong consensus emerged: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules across EU Member States remain fragmented and in need of harmonisation.
Officials from DG Environment’s Circular Economy Act team confirmed the Commission’s intention to simplify and digitalise EPR frameworks, aiming to reduce administrative burdens and improve efficiency for producers and compliance bodies alike. Among key focus areas will be the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive—Europe’s fastest-growing waste stream—and better recovery of critical raw materials.
Further ambitions include harmonising end-of-waste and by-product criteria across Member States, potentially enabling mutual recognition of standards and smoother cross-border trade in secondary raw materials. The Circular Economy Act itself is scheduled for presentation in Q4 2026, preceded by a comprehensive impact assessment and stakeholder consultation planned before summer 2025.
2. Recent WEEE Directive Evaluation (2 July 2025)
On 2 July 2025, the European Commission published its evaluation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, reaffirming the directive’s importance while identifying critical areas requiring improvement.
The evaluation revealed that only approximately 40% of electronic waste is currently recycled within the EU, with nearly half of e-waste remaining uncollected. This significant gap underscores the urgency of enhancing collection systems and recycling performance.
A central recommendation from the report is the harmonisation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes across Member States. The Commission also emphasized the need to boost the recovery of critical raw materials from e-waste, a priority given the growing demand for sustainable resource management.
These insights are set to shape the forthcoming Circular Economy Act, scheduled for release in late 2026. The Act is expected to introduce comprehensive revisions to waste regulations, with a strong focus on addressing the challenges highlighted in the WEEE evaluation to advance Europe’s circular economy objectives.
Official Resources and Further Reading
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European Commission – Circular Economy Action Plan
environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy_en -
DG ENV News – WEEE Directive Evaluation (2 July 2025)
environment.ec.europa.eu/news