Companies, which place environmentally polluting products on the market, still have a few weeks to register on the List of Producers of Products Subject to EPR Regulation

June 14, 2024 by Marina Cojocaru

As of May 2024, businesses across the country that place environmentally polluting products on the market and are not registered on the Producers’ List of products subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation were no longer allowed to import and advertise their products. The “Producers’ List” is a register held by the Environment Agency in which all producers of products subject to EPR are registered and have a number. When registering in the List, producers must prove that they are part of an individual scheme or certify that they are a member of a collective scheme for the collection, treatment, recovery or disposal of products that have become waste. Although businesses had more than a year to set up an individual system or become a member of a collective system, many did not. So from May 16, 2024, according to new legislative changes, they could no longer place on the market products that pollute the environment, namely: electrical and electronic equipment, packaging, batteries and accumulators, vehicles, used tires, oils. Businesses started to warn that they could not import goods into the country and that they were stuck at the border. In order to meet the entrepreneurs who failed to register in the List of Producers of Products Subject to EPR Regulation, the Ministry of Environment jointly with the Customs Service promptly intervened. Present at the meeting, Minister Sergiu Lazarencu noted that the economic agents have been unblocked their activity by allowing them to submit an application for registration in the List of Producers of Products Subject to EPR Regulation, and by the end of July 2024 they will be able to become part of an individual system or certify their membership in a collective system. In the meantime, the economic agents had the opportunity to ask questions and receive clarifications from the Ministry of Environment, the Environment Agency, the Customs Service and the State Tax Service, as well as from the environmental experts of the “ProMediu” Association on the situation they found themselves in. A meeting in this respect was held within the working group “Facilitation of the green transition and cross-border trade” of the Economic Council under the Prime Minister. The meeting was also attended by Mariana Cușnir MP, vice chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Climate and Green Transition, initiator of the draft law on the amendment of the Law No. 1540/1998 on payment for environmental pollution, who welcomed the sessions on informing economic agents about the need to ensure the implementation of the EPR principle. As a result of the discussions, according to the chair of the Working Group “Facilitating the Green Transition and Cross-Border Trade”, Mariana Rufa, executive director of the European Business Association, economic agents facing temporary difficulties in complying with the new rules of activity will be able to turn to business associations which, together with the authorities, will be able to intervene operationally to assist them in overcoming the challenges. The Economic Council will continue to be the platform for facilitating communication between the authorities and the business community, which will monitor the evolution of this issue and will provide all the necessary support to ensure effective communication between all parties involved. It is worth mentioning that for 4 years, as a result of legislative changes, more than 5 thousand economic agents have been registered in the List of producers of products subject to Extended Producer Responsibility regulation, 4 thousand of which only in the last 4 weeks. Another 1600 or so economic agents have applied for registration in the list. However, no applications have been received from those placing oil and vehicles on the market.