Positions · EU dossier

Circular Economy Act

The Circular Economy Act is an announced Commission initiative on a single market for secondary raw materials. On this page: stage of work, dates, acts from the Law register and the full state of play.

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Reviewed 20.10.2026 · next review by 19.11.2026

EU
Waste
Recycling
Scrap trade
Processing
Product manufacturers

At a glance

Commission proposal announced for before the end of 2026; consultation closed on 06.11.2025.

before end-2026date for adoption of the proposal given by the Commission (originally Q3 2026)European Commission, DG ENV, 31.08.2026
06.11.2025end of the public consultation (from 01.08.2025, initiative 14812)Have Your Say portal
17.06.2026EESC exploratory opinion NAT/986 requested by the CommissionEESC
Art. 114 TFEUlegal basis of the announced initiative – single market for secondary raw materialsCOM(2025) 870, Annex I item 4

Procedure stage and dates

COM(2025) 870Consultation · since 01.08.2025

Stages: 1. Announced2. Consultation3. Proposal4. Parliament and Council5. Trilogues6. Adoption and publication7. Application8. Review

Upcoming dates

17.06.2027transposition deadline for Directive (EU) 2025/1892Waste Framework Directive (WFD)

Chamber position

No documents have been published on this dossier.

Dossier documents and sources in the Library →

Acts in the Law register

EU policy

Circular Economy Act – state of play

The Circular Economy Act is intended to create a single market for secondary raw materials in the EU. Procedure stage, timeline and scope – based solely on documents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EESC.

Announced – Commission proposal in preparationLegislative initiative · Art. 114 TFEU

The European Commission is preparing a legislative proposal

In its 2026 work programme, the Commission announced the proposal for Q3 2026. In a news item of 31.08.2026 it stated that the act is due to be adopted before the end of 2026. In the European Parliament the file has the status “announced” (as of 20.09.2026).

Date given by the Commission

before the end of 2026

Originally: Q3 2026 (Commission work programme)

As of 20.10.2026

Where the procedure stands

Diagram 1. Legislative path of the Circular Economy Act

Legal basis according to the Commission work programme: Art. 114 TFEU (internal market), which means the ordinary legislative procedure and mandatory consultation of the EESC. Dates for stages 4–6 are not known before the proposal is published.

Timeline of work

Diagram 2. Timeline of work 2025–2027

Dates in Annex I to the Commission work programme are indicative and may change during preparation, notably in view of the outcome of an impact assessment (footnote to the annex). The “today” line moves automatically.

Scope announced by the Commission

Diagram 3. Objectives and pillars of the Circular Economy Act

Sources: European Commission (01.08.2025, 31.08.2026), Commission work programme 2026, EPRS PE 782.628 (27.01.2026); circularity rate – Eurostat, cited by EPRS. The final scope will only be set by the Commission proposal.

Relevance for non-ferrous metals

End-of-waste criteria

EPRS identifies the lack of harmonised criteria and 27 divergent national regimes as a primary barrier to cross-border flows of secondary raw materials. For metal scrap, EU criteria already apply: Regulation (EU) No 333/2011 (iron, steel, aluminium) and No 715/2013 (copper). Member States named harmonised criteria as a priority (18.11.2025).

WEEE and critical raw materials

Amending the WEEE Directive is one of the pillars of the proposal. EPRS points to recovering permanent magnets from electric vehicles and rare earths from e-waste as a route to the Critical Raw Materials Act target: at least 25% of annual consumption of strategic raw materials from recycling. EU e-waste recycling rate: 30.8% (2023, Eurostat).

Trade in secondary raw materials

In 2024 the EU exported 35.7 million tonnes of recyclable raw materials (largest destination: Türkiye – 12.3 million tonnes) and imported 46.7 million tonnes (Eurostat, cited by EPRS). Member States stressed a level playing field, including for imports.

Demand, prices and simplification

Recyclates are often more expensive than virgin materials or perceived as lower quality, which weakens demand (EPRS). Member States mentioned recycled-content targets and green public procurement, while the Commission called for simple, clear and digital rules for secondary raw materials and waste. DIWASS already digitalises waste shipments. See DIWASS →

Next steps

Publication of the proposal

Date given by the Commission: before the end of 2026. Once the College adopts the proposal, this section will be updated with its number and content.

Parliament, Council and EESC

The proposal will go to the lead committee of the European Parliament and to a Council working party. Art. 114(1) TFEU requires consultation of the EESC; exploratory opinion NAT/986 was adopted ahead of the proposal.

Key facts

Initiative: Circular Economy Act
Type: legislative, Art. 114 TFEU – Commission work programme 2026, Annex I item 4
In the Commission: Commissioner Jessika Roswall; oversight: Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera and Stéphane Séjourné (EPRS)
Consultation: 01.08–06.11.2025, initiative 14812
Status in the EP: “Announced” – Legislative Train, as of 20.09.2026
As of: 20.10.2026

Sources

Information note based on official EU documents; not a legal interpretation. Until the Commission proposal is published, its content and timing may change.

Change log

24.10.2026Procedure stage: consultation from 01.08.2025 (closed on 06.11.2025); Commission proposal announced in the 2026 work programme.
24.10.2026Dossier page: procedure stage, upcoming dates and acts from the Law register.
20.10.2026State-of-play analysis: announcement in the Commission work programme 2026, 2025 consultation, EESC opinion NAT/986, proposal date.

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Contact on this dossier: biuro@igmnir.pl