Decree on products in force in EU which will also have an impact on Serbia: What should local companies know?

The European Union has adopted the decree on the eco-design for sustainable products. That is an ambitious step in the transition toward the circular economy. Since 2024, nearly all products which enter the market of the European Union have to be longer-lasting, easier to repair, energy-efficient and environmentally acceptable. What does this mean for Serbia in concrete terms, how will the new rules change the business operations of our exporters, who will be able to stay in the market of the European Union, and who will lose step?

Sustainable business manager Kristina Subotic said that the new decree was a very significant application of EU regulations, as it in fact aimed to somehow define the sustainability of the products placed on the EU market.

– When we say the European Union, it always seems like we’re far away, because we are still not practically a part of it, but that is something that will certainly have an impact on us. This decree is in fact not something entirely new. In a way, that is an umbrella framework which defines precisely the sustainability of products, and in addition to that, aims to reduce the negative impact on the living environment – she explained.

She adds that the new directive is something wider and much more significant and something that will cover the entire market of the products that are put to use in the EU.

– These products are in fact treated as products which belong to all groups of products. Now it’s not just about energy efficiency or electric devices. This will be something that defines a big group of products – she said.

According to her, this decree now defines packaging as well, among other things, and aims to introduce basic postulates of circular economy.

How will all this impact Serbian companies?

She says that this also concerns Serbia, although it is not yet a member of the EU, because our companies which place products on that market will be obligated to meet the requirements in line with the decree.

– What should also be expected is that those who are in the value chain, which pertains to the part which concerns, for example, raw materials and preparation, will also be overseen in some way, because it is precisely the producer of products, the one who puts the product into use, will have the right and opportunity to request additional information about how the raw material was made – she pointed out.

Subotic notes that it all requires investments and that it is necessary to explain to producers that, in a long-term perspective, it is advantage for them, and not a threat.

Kristina Subotić

EU decree on eco design for sustainable products

circular economy