EU Council adopts End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation

2026-07-02 17:35

Following the European Parliament, the Council has now also formally approved the compromise on the ELVR on 29 June.

The EU has thus reached agreement on the new End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR). Car manufacturers will face greater obligations: under the extended producer responsibility framework, they will be held financially and organisationally responsible for the entire life cycle of their vehicles, including when they become waste. This means car manufacturers must bear the costs of collecting, dismantling and recycling their old models. In future, a minimum proportion of recycled plastic must also be used. Six years after the new regulations come into force, at least 15 per cent of the plastic used in the manufacture of new vehicles must come from recycling, with the ultimate target set out in the regulation being a 25 per cent recycled content within ten years of its entry into force. Furthermore, at least 20 per cent of this recycled plastic must be sourced from end-of-life vehicles.

The regulation also includes stricter rules on traceability and control measures, thereby addressing the problem of ‘missing vehicles’ that are illegally dismantled or exported. As soon as a vehicle meets the criteria for an end-of-life vehicle (waste), it must be processed by an authorised facility and may not be legally exported or resold as a used vehicle. Furthermore, the regulation prohibits the export of used vehicles that are no longer roadworthy, and is thus intended to ensure that the EU meets its targets of retaining valuable materials within its territory and not contributing to environmental pollution in third countries.

Germany and Estonia, both of which, along with 21 other countries, voted in favour of the regulation in the Council, had previously – like Slovakia, which abstained from the vote – had their concerns regarding individual points of the ELVR recorded in the Council minutes. According to a statement in the minutes, Germany considers, on the one hand, that the provisions of the regulation are insufficient to effectively curb the illegal dismantling and export of end-of-life vehicles. It is calling on the European Commission to carry out the planned impact assessment of relevant measures earlier than scheduled. Furthermore, according to the minutes, Germany considers the so-called ‘mirror clause’ to be problematic from a trade policy perspective and unsuitable for ensuring the necessary protection of the single market. This clause stipulates that recycled plastics from third countries may only be counted towards the quotas if they originate from facilities that meet EU standards on health, the environment and climate protection. Germany is calling for an impact assessment on this matter, which should, however, be carried out as soon as possible. This should examine the trade policy and trade law implications of the mirror clause, as well as its impact on industry in the EU and in third countries, and issues relating to implementation.

Following the vote by the Council of the EU, the ELVR will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU and will apply to new models or vehicle types after a transition period of 24 months.

Sources:

EU Council press release (29.6.2026)
Statements on the ELVR from Germany, Estonia and Slovakia (23.6.2026)

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