EU Commission Opens Consultation on Portable Battery Removability Exemptions

The European Commission launched a four-week public consultation on April 28 proposing six new product-category exemptions from the EU Batteries Regulation's requirement that portable batteries in consumer devices be user-removable and replaceable by 2027. The removability requirement — part of the EU Battery Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542) — is designed to extend product lifetimes, reduce e-waste, and lower consumer repair costs. Stakeholders including manufacturers, NGOs, member-state governments, and consumer groups have until May 26 to respond. The exemptions cover specific product categories where technical integration makes removability impractical without fundamentally redesigning the product. The consultation represents a test of the EU's willingness to accommodate industry engineering realities while maintaining the regulation's core circular-economy objectives.