The European Commission has published a wide-ranging set of legislative proposals designed to streamline environmental regulation and strengthen the competitiveness of EU businesses. Known as the eighth omnibus package, the initiative aims to ease administrative requirements in areas including industrial emissions, circular economy rules, and environmental assessments, while safeguarding the EU’s fundamental environmental goals. The proposals will now move to negotiations in the European Parliament and the Council.
The package introduces targeted amendments across several environmental laws, with the most notable changes relating to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and industrial emissions.
Temporary Suspension of Mandatory EPR Authorised Representatives
A key element of the proposals focuses on reducing the complexity and cost of EPR compliance for companies operating across the EU single market. The Commission proposes to suspend the obligation for producers established in one EU Member State to appoint an authorised representative when selling products in other Member States.
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Proposed Regulation (COM(2025) 982): Suspends the requirement to appoint an authorised representative for EPR schemes covering batteries and packaging waste.
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Proposed Directive (COM(2025) 983): Extends the suspension to EPR schemes for general waste under the Waste Framework Directive, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and single-use plastics.
Under these measures, EU-based producers would be able to decide whether appointing an authorised representative is the most effective way to meet their EPR obligations in other Member States. Existing arrangements may continue unchanged. The suspension is intended to apply until 1 January 2035, acting as an interim solution ahead of a broader overhaul of the EPR framework anticipated under the forthcoming Circular Economy Act. Producers established outside the EU would still be required to appoint authorised representatives or equivalent mechanisms to ensure traceability and effective enforcement.
Additional Simplification Measures
The omnibus package also proposes several other reforms:
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Industrial Emissions: Administrative requirements would be reduced through simplified Environmental Management System (EMS) obligations and the removal of the requirement to prepare indicative transformation plans. Reporting obligations for livestock and aquaculture operators would also be streamlined.
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Abolition of the SCIP Database: The obligation to submit information on substances of concern in articles to the SCIP database would be repealed, with the Commission citing limited effectiveness and high compliance costs. This role is expected to be gradually taken over by other EU chemicals legislation and the digital product passport.
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Environmental Assessments: A separate proposal (COM(2025) 984) aims to accelerate and simplify environmental assessment procedures by introducing single contact points and greater digitalisation, particularly to support energy, digital, and industrial decarbonisation projects.
Business Implications
The package is expected to significantly reduce regulatory complexity and compliance costs, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in multiple EU jurisdictions. Making the appointment of EPR authorised representatives optional removes a key cost and administrative barrier to cross-border trade within the single market. Overall, the Commission estimates that the omnibus package could cut administrative burdens by around EUR 1 billion annually, improving efficiency and competitiveness while maintaining environmental protections.
