EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation Adopted by Plenary

Portrait photo of Jens Gieseke

The agreement reached by the Parliament and the Council at the end of 2025 was adopted with 437 votes in favor, 112 against, and 20 abstentions.


During the plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted the EU circularity rules of the amended End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation on Thursday, June 18, 2026, following the report by the two rapporteurs, Jens Gieseke (Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, ENVI) and Paulius Saudargas (Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, IMCO). This regulation is now intended to cover the entire life cycle of a vehicle, from design to end-of-life treatment. This is evident from the live broadcast of the plenary session and a press release from the European Parliament. The compromise text between Parliament and the Council was published in February 2026 and marked the transition to the final phase of the legislative process.
 
Under the new regulations, once the regulation enters into force and following a transition period, all new vehicles must be designed so that as many parts and components as possible can be easily removed. Plastics used in new vehicles must contain at least 15 percent recycled content within six years and at least 25 percent within ten years. At least 20 percent of the recycled plastic must consist of materials recovered from end-of-life vehicles and used automotive parts to ensure a “closed loop” material cycle. In addition, stricter measures for the end of a vehicle’s life cycle are being introduced: Three years after the new regulations take effect, extended producer responsibility will be implemented, requiring manufacturers to bear the costs of collecting and disposing of end-of-life vehicles within the EU. Export regulations for used vehicles will also be tightened. The law prohibits the export of vehicles that have been declared unfit for use on the road, in order to address the problem of “ghost vehicles” and prevent their illegal disposal and dismantling. This requirement will take effect five years after the regulation enters into force.
 
The rapporteurs for the ENVI and IMCO committees, Jens Gieseke (EPP, Germany, photo) and Paulius Saudargas (EPP, Lithuania), stated: “We are taking important steps to drive the automotive industry’s transition to a circular economy. We are promoting resource security, protecting the environment, and ensuring sustainability. To avoid overburdening the industry, the new regulations include realistic targets, less bureaucracy, and fairer competition.”
 
The regulation must now be formally approved by the Council of the EU before it enters into force. Member states will then have 24 months to implement the rules.
 
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