Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 September 2026
107. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the engagement his Department has had with representatives of Irish micro and small businesses regarding the impact of packaging extended producer responsibility obligations on cross-border online trade within the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64487/26]
View answer108. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether Ireland supports the establishment of an EU-wide packaging compliance registration system or one-stop-shop mechanism to replace multiple national registration requirements for businesses engaged in cross-border e-commerce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64486/26]
View answer126. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on the difficulty small businesses are facing to comply with packaging obligations that differ in each EU member state they export to; if his Department is working on a meaningful exemption or simplified regime for micro and small businesses placing very small quantities of packaging on other EU markets; if he is aware of work being done to achieve an EU-wide registration (details supplied); the measures to prevent authorised-representative and administrative costs becoming disproportionate to the environmental liability involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65171/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 108 and 126 together.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations in respect of packaging are set out in the recently introduced Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). As the PPWR is an EU Regulation with direct legal effect in Member States, the impact assessment for the regulations was undertaken at EU level. The potential impact on SMEs and micro-enterprises was considered as part of the Commission’s overall impact assessment of the PPWR proposal, with the final legislative package providing for specific treatment of SMEs and micro-enterprises to protect against disproportionate burdens.
Nonetheless, since the date of general application on 12th August this year, I have been approached by numerous micro and small enterprises and made aware of difficulties here and across the EU with meeting the requirements under the regulation. The Department is working closely with Repak, Ireland’s Producer Responsibility Organisation, to respond to those concerns insofar as is possible within the framework of the EU’s new Regulation.
The forthcoming proposal for an EU Circular Economy Act will provide an opportunity to address these issues in a systemic and comprehensive manner. The European Commission is expected to publish its proposal for that legislation later this year.
In the meantime, Member States are engaged in active discussion about the implementation challenges linked with PPWR, and evaluating possible next steps.
