ECOTIC, member of PRO WEEE Coalition, welcomes the conclusions of the conference "Circular Economy and WEEE - New European regulations and challenges of the Romanian system", organized on June 2, 2026 at the Romanian Parliament. The event brought together representatives of the Parliament, the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, the European Commission, producers, responsibility transfer organizations and system operators, in a constructive dialogue about the necessary directions for reform.
European Commission proposal of 2 euros/kg: legitimate concerns, need for solid data
The European Commission's proposal to introduce a uniform contribution of 2 euros/kg for uncollected WEEE, as a new own resource of the EU budget, has raised important debates both at the conference and at European level, through a joint letter from European EEE producer organisations, including WEEE Forum, APPLiA and DigitalEurope. The main concerns relate to the lack of harmonised and reliable statistical data on uncollected WEEE, the contested calculation methodology, based on the quantities placed on the market in the last 3 years and the risk that an additional tax would discourage investment in infrastructure and collection.
Pascal Leroy, Director General, WEEE Forum, pointed out that such a contribution risks reducing the resources available for investments in infrastructure, technologies, campaigns and real collection and recycling capacities. At the same time, it underlined the need to change the methodology for calculating targets and move towards an approach based on the quantity of WEEE generated, not exclusively on the quantities placed on the market in previous years.
Presentation by Pascal Leroy, General Manager, WEEE Forum
The proposal is also supported by a joint letter signed by 13 representative European organizations, calling for the rejection of the tax, citing unreliable statistical data, questionable environmental incentives, and the risk of increasing costs for consumers.
Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, Director within DG Environment of the European Commission, stated that the new regulations proposed by the EC (Circular Economy Act and New WEEE Act) will be published in the fall of this year and, respectively, in 2027.
He stressed that the future European framework will have to take into account differences between product life cycles and how they are reflected in the current collection rules. The need to address more coherently the categories of equipment containing critical raw materials or valuable materials, as well as to reduce the fragmentation of the internal market caused by different transpositions of the current Directive, was highlighted.
The European Commission is considering a proposal to reform the WEEE framework, in the form of a regulation, which would contribute to a uniform application at European level and to a better correlation with ecodesign and circular economy policies.
Proposal to increase the AFM contribution from 2 lei/kg to 4 lei/kg
The discussion on the possible doubling of the penalty applied to producers for failure to meet collection targets, from 2 lei/kg to 4 lei/kg, was addressed during the conference. The consensus of the participants was that such a measure requires, in advance, a solid substantiation in real data. Romania does not yet have an independent national study on the real quantity of WEEE generated by equipment categories. Without this database, the collection targets do not reflect the reality of the market, and the additional financial pressure on OTRs and producers risks ultimately affecting consumers as well. They are the ones who pay the green stamp when purchasing electrical or electronic equipment, and such a measure would only encourage the increase in tariffs in the operational area and implicitly in shelf prices. Romania already has the highest cost per ton in Europe – 227 euros, and the municipal collection infrastructure is reduced, the contribution of local authorities to the WEEE system being insufficient.
The PRO WEEE Coalition calls for an independent national study as a necessary first step before any decision on modifying contributions.
His intervention Sorin Mierlea, President of InfoCons, placed the consumer at the center of the discussion. He emphasized that the term “consumer” does not describe an abstract person: “It’s us, all of us here at the table. Each of us, no matter what and where we are, are also consumers.”
He also signaled a new risk for the consumer: electronic products sold through online platforms do not pay the green stamp, creating unfair competition against manufacturers that comply with the rules and, implicitly, a hidden cost borne by consumers who purchase through legal channels.
The Clearing House Coordination Mechanism: a direction to analyze for Romania
The conference also discussed the possibility of implementing the model of a Clearing house-type coordination body, inspired by the Italian experience.
Giorgio Arienti, General Manager ERION WEEE Italy, presented how such a mechanism ensures a fair allocation of responsibilities between responsibility transfer organizations, preventing the phenomenon of "cherry picking": collecting the most easily accessible WEEE, to the detriment of collecting all WEEE on the market.
Presentation Giorgio Arienti, General Manager ERION WEEE Italy
Dan Pascu, Vice President of the Competition Council, confirmed that such a mechanism may be compatible with competition rules, to the extent that it is limited to legitimate objectives of administrative coordination and fair allocation.
ECOTIC and the Pro WEEE Coalition believe that such a body would bring transparency and traceability to the collection-recycling system, eliminate market distortions and contribute to reducing the costs of WEEE management at the national level.
