Enabling EU circularity: A harmonised, digital and globally open single market

DIGITALEUROPE welcomes the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA) as a chance to create a coherent, digital and market-driven framework for Europe’s circular transition. The Act must harmonise rules, strengthen enforcement and avoid overlapping obligations under the Ecodesign
for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), ensuring clarity and consistency across the single market.

A successful CEA should prioritise EU-wide definitions, harmonised end-of-waste criteria and mutually recognised standards, enabling the free movement of secondary raw materials. Simplified shipment rules and uniform treatment standards are key to scaling investment in circular infrastructure. The CEA must also make Europe’s system digital by default, establishing interoperable EU–national extended producer responsibility (EPR) registration tools and digitisation of regulatory information and
labels to improve efficiency and traceability.
A harmonised and fair EPR framework is essential. Collection targets should be based on ‘WEEE available for collection,’ rather than EEE placed on the market, to ensure realistic and enforceable goals. A legally binding ‘all actors’ principle should ensure that only authorised and registered operators handle WEEE, preventing free-riding and improving data accuracy. DIGITALEUROPE warns against the increasing fragmentation and ineffectiveness of WEEE ecomodulation and visible WEEE fee obligations.
Finally, Europe must stimulate circularity through open and globally connected markets. Geographic or regional sourcing restrictions would fragment supply chains, raise costs and limit access to high-quality
recyclates. Instead, market-based incentives and investment in advanced recycling should drive uptake of secondary materials.
In short, the CEA should deliver a harmonised, digital and globally open framework that removes barriers, strengthens competitiveness and enables a truly circular single market.