EU Industry Urges Brussels to Withdraw “Ill-Conceived” E-Waste Levy

Ten European industry associations have called on the European Commission to drop its plan for a new “own resource” based on uncollected e-waste. The measure, they warn, is “ill-conceived” and risks fragmenting the single market while adding billions in costs for businesses and consumers. Instead, they urge the EU to focus on revising the WEEE Directive to strengthen collection and recycling performance.

Europe’s technology and waste management industries have urged the European Commission to withdraw its proposal for a new ‘own resource’ based on uncollected waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). In a joint letter addressed to Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the EU Søren Jacobsen, and Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall, ten associations representing producers, recyclers and compliance schemes warned that the initiative “is ill-conceived and risks creating significant market fragmentation.”

According to the Commission’s draft for the next multiannual financial framework, from 2028 Member States would pay a €2-per-kilogram contribution calculated on the difference between the weight of WEEE generated and that collected. The Commission estimates the measure could raise around €15 billion per year, helping to “support the Union’s strategic autonomy in the supply of critical raw materials.”

However, industry groups argue that “the clear focus of this proposal appears to be revenue generation for the general EU budget, rather than on substantive environmental policy.” Such an approach, they warn, could “severely undermine the competitiveness of a sector that is critical to a thriving circular economy.”

The letter questions the reliability of the data underpinning the proposed mechanism. Eurostat current data “are far from reliable,” the signatories write, noting that the real volume of uncollected WEEE “is an unknown variable.” The minimum 65 percent collection target currently required under EU law, they add, “does not accurately reflect the quantity of electronic waste generated in a given year, nor adequately account for the wide variety of product categories and their expected lifespans.”

The associations caution that, given these data limitations, the proposed levy could distort competition and fragment the EU single market. Implementation details would be left to Member States, including whether to pass the cost on to producers—an outcome that could lead to “a significant and detrimental increase in the tax burden on European companies.” The letter estimates that the additional burden on consumers could range “from per capita € 9.25 to € 57.71.”

Rather than fostering circularity, industry representatives warn, the new resource would impose additional costs on businesses and governments, diverting funds away from improving collection and recycling systems. The signatories call on the Commission to “reconsider its approach,” arguing that “a more constructive and effective way forward would be to adapt the existing regulatory framework.”

They note that the current WEEE Directive “has clear limitations: collection targets are not being met, enforcement is inconsistent, and many actors involved in WEEE management are insufficiently regulated or held accountable.” In their view, the forthcoming revision of the directive—expected by the end of 2026 under the Circular Economy Act—represents “the real opportunity to strengthen the system and increase both collection volumes and recycling quality.”