Brussels Exempts Smartwatches And Smart Glasses From Its Battery Law
The delegated act carves out wearables, electric toys, medical devices and toothbrushes, citing fire risk from discarded lithium batteries.
- Delegated act adopted July 14, 2026 amends the 2023 Batteries Regulation's removable-battery mandate.
- Exempted categories include wearables, electric toys, ATEX-directive equipment, medical devices and wet appliances like toothbrushes.
- Takes effect 20 days after publication unless Parliament or the Council formally objects.
Why it matters: An annex can rewrite what a law covers without the vote that passed the law ever happening again.
European Commission (DG Environment) — delegated act news release ↗ · Jul 14, 20267/14/26 · ✓ Checked✓ Check