Harmonising EU packaging law, relieving the burden on SMEs

“It is good that EU-wide harmonisation of packaging law is establishing the standardised conditions needed for a functioning internal market and for the free movement of goods. For skilled crafts enterprises, it is essential that the regulations are manageable in practice. The new packaging law must not lead to an additional EU packaging regulation register beside the already existing German register. If a small crafts business with five employees were to have to register multiple times, this would require further bureaucratic work and would not be acceptable.

In addition, any obligations arising from the new EU packaging law must be clear and proportionate. Due to a lack of standardised processes and the large variety of products in the skilled crafts sector, detailed documentation requirements for so-called empty space minimisation, for instance, are often impossible to implement. The adopted exemption for micro-enterprises needs to be extended to small businesses as well.

We will, during the coming EU legislative processes and on a national level, stand up for skilled crafts enterprises to ensure that packaging legislation is feasible for them.”