Slovenia has published a new legislation that introduces the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/ 1542 within the country starting on the 12^th October 2024. (Source: Uredba o izvajanju Uredbe (EU) o baterijah in odpadnih baterijah (PISRS).

Since the Batteries Regulation is a life cycle legislation, there are two authorities that are responsible for the execution, the ministry for economy, tourism and sport covers the market introduction of the batteries whereas the ministry for environment, climate and energy is responsible for the end-of-life batteries and accumulators.

The market observation is delegated to the respective Market Inspection Authority of the Republic of Slovenia depending on the section of the legislation that is concerned. This leads to a split of market observation responsibilities across several authorities. In the end-of-life area, the Environmental Inspection is the relevant authority, with the exemption of waste transportation which is controlled by the authorities for environment, the finance administration and the police.

Batteries and accumulators that have been introduced according to the previous legislations can still be sold until the stocks in Slovenia are cleared.

(Source: RECIKEL, d.o.o./ 9th October 2024)

According to the opinion of the author of this article, the organizational setup shows the complexity of a life-cycle regulation such as the Batteries Regulations. A key element for market observation and enforcement will be a smooth and seamless communication between the different authorities.