EU Launches Consultation on New Battery Removability Exemptions

On 28 April 2026, the European Commission launched a public consultation on a draft delegated act that would introduce additional exemptions from the EU Batteries Regulation requirements on the removability and replaceability of portable batteries. 
Under Regulation EU 2023/1542, portable batteries in products placed on the EU market must generally be removable and replaceable by end users, with the objective of extending product lifetimes and improving waste battery collection. The draft delegated act proposes to expand the list of products for which batteries would only need to be removable and replaceable by independent professionals, primarily for safety and technical reasons. Newly proposed exemption categories include wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, certain electric toys, wireless food contact thermometer probes, products used in explosive atmospheres covered by the ATEX Directive, on body drug delivery systems, and specific telematics devices used in agricultural and construction machinery. 
The initiative follows a technical assessment process launched in 2025 and aims to balance consumer repairability, product safety, and waste management risks, including increasing fire incidents linked to improperly handled small lithium-ion batteries. 
The consultation is open to stakeholders until 26 May 2026, after which the Commission will finalise the delegated act and update its guidance to help manufacturers apply the new derogations consistently.
Source: European Commission draft Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation EU 2023/1542 on derogations for the removability and replaceability of portable batteries