European UnionEuropean Economic Area
European Product Act Programme Advances With Standardisation Proposal
The Commission published its standardisation proposal on 6 October 2026. The merged New Legislative Framework and market-surveillance reform remains a planned initiative.
Dr Steven Brennan
2 min readAI-drafted, expert reviewed
Update, 20 October 2026. The standardisation element has reached the proposal stage, while the merged product-framework reform remains a planned initiative in the Commission’s published tracker.
The European Commission published its standardisation proposal, COM(2026)780, on 6 October 2026. It is a legislative proposal, not replacement law already in force.
The wider European Product Act programme includes a merged initiative covering the New Legislative Framework and Market Surveillance Regulation. The Commission’s implementation tracker, updated on 7 October, records those elements as planned and standardisation as proposed.
E-Commerce And Product Safety Context
The Commission reported 4.6 billion low-value packages entering the EU in 2024 and 5.8 billion in 2025. Its February 2025 e-commerce communication said e-commerce accounted for over 97% of customs import declarations.
The Safety Gate 2025 report recorded 4,671 dangerous non-food product alerts, 13% more than in 2024 and more than double the 2022 total. Cosmetics accounted for 36%, toys for 16% and electrical appliances and equipment for 11%.
Existing Product Passport Rules Remain Separate
The 2023 Batteries Regulation established a sector-specific battery passport, before the broader framework in the 2024 Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.
Under Article 77 of the Batteries Regulation, passports are required from 18 February 2027 for light means of transport batteries, electric vehicle batteries and industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh. These existing duties do not depend on adoption of the European Product Act programme.
Questions about this change
Has the European Product Act programme replaced EU product compliance law?
No. The Commission published a standardisation proposal on 6 October 2026. Its 7 October tracker still described the merged New Legislative Framework and market-surveillance reform as planned. A proposal does not itself replace existing law.
Does the European Product Act programme change the battery passport deadline?
The reported programme does not change the existing battery passport requirement. Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 requires passports from 18 February 2027 for light means of transport batteries, electric vehicle batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh.
Dr Steven Brennan
CEO and co-founder of Foresight, and a co-opted member of ECHA's Committee for Socio-economic Analysis. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering.
More from Dr Steven BrennanFind out what this means for your products
Foresight follows changes like this one and shows where they reach your substances, products and markets.
Join 3,500+ professionals staying ahead
Foresight Weekly brings the week's regulatory changes across chemicals, product safety, sustainability, ESG and EHS into one email.
Read by professionals at
