EU member states have agreed a negotiating position on proposals to simplify and streamline rules covering industrial emissions, the circular economy and geospatial data.
The plans form part of the EU’s “Omnibus VIII” package, a set of measures intended to cut administrative costs while keeping existing environmental protection standards, the Council of the EU announced on Wednesday night.
Marilena Raouna, Cyprus deputy minister for European affairs, said the Cyprus presidency had pushed for “clearer” and “more proportionate” rules that reduce burdens while safeguarding environmental standards.
The package includes targeted changes to six EU laws, including measures linked to environmental assessments, battery rules and the EU’s INSPIRE framework for spatial information.
INSPIRE is an EU system for sharing environmental location data between authorities, such as mapping and datasets.
Negotiations among member states on two proposals linked to extended producer responsibility — rules that make producers responsible for the end-of-life of products — were discontinued after “strong reservations” from most countries, the Council said, adding that a wider review of those frameworks is expected in autumn 2026.
Batteries, industrial emissions and spatial data changes
The Council pointed out the proposed regulation would amend EU battery rules by reducing some reporting requirements and simplifying rules on how battery packs can be removed and replaced in light means of transport, such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
It also said the definition of “substance of concern” in the batteries regulation would be modified to avoid duplication across EU laws and reduce the number of substances operators must consider when labelling batteries.
Some removability and replaceability requirements for certain product categories would be postponed by 18 months under the Council’s changes.
Under the industrial emissions portal regulation, reporting would be simplified for livestock and aquaculture operators.
A separate proposed directive would ease requirements for industrial and livestock rearing installations and simplify reporting obligations under waste laws, according to the Council.
It said a chemicals inventory would be reintroduced under the industrial emissions directive as a tool to monitor hazardous chemical substances, with operators able to refer to inventories produced under other EU, national or international frameworks.
The Council also noted the proposed Environmental Management System would include a compliance deadline of July 2030.
On geospatial data, the Council said its mandate would modernise the INSPIRE directive by streamlining technical requirements for data and data sharing, and by aligning the rules with other EU data legislation.
It added the mandate would reintroduce data sharing between public authorities and minimum interoperability requirements, meaning data can be used seamlessly across borders and systems. Member states’ ability to restrict public access to certain data for public security or similar reasons would also be more clearly specified.
The Council said the next Irish presidency would continue work on the remaining elements and begin negotiations with the European Parliament once both institutions have adopted their positions.
