Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1116 of 26 May 2026 listing the products, components and waste streams considered as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential under Regulation (EU) 2024/1252

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020 [^ntr1-L_202601116EN.000101-E0001], and in particular Article 26(7) thereof,

Whereas:

• (1) Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 requires Member States to adopt national programmes containing measures designed to increase the circularity of critical raw materials.

• (2) Pursuant to Article 26(7) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, the Commission is to list the products, components and waste streams that are considered as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential. That list should serve as a reference for the scope of the national measures referred to Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252. The list should not prevent Member States from considering additional products, components and waste streams for critical raw materials recovery in the context of their national circularity practices.

• (3) The list provided for in the Annex to this Regulation contains the list of products, components and waste streams that the Commission considers as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential, taking into account the criteria referred to in Article 26(7), second subparagraph of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252.

• (4) The list reflects the current state of technological development and market conditions relevant for the recovery of critical raw materials. In light of future technological and regulatory developments, the Commission may, where appropriate, update this implementing act.

• (5) Extractive waste is not included in that list, since measures designed to promote the recovery of critical raw materials from extractive waste are already covered by Article 27 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252.

• (6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on the Implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act established by Article 39(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The products, components and waste streams listed in the Annex to this Regulation are considered as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential within the meaning of Article 26(1), points (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 26 May 2026.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN

[^ntr1-L_202601116EN.000101-E0001]: OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1252/oj.

ANNEX

List of products, components and waste streams that are considered as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential:

• 1. Batteries, with the following components, in particular:

• — Cathode active materials*

• — Anode active materials*

• — Cathode current collectors*

• — Anode current collectors*

• — Battery management systems

• — Internal cables

• 1. Electrical and electronic equipment, with the following components, in particular:

• — Permanent magnets

• — Hard disk drives

• — Compressors

• — Displays (cathode ray tube, liquid crystal, thin film, plasma)

• — Printed circuit boards

• — Cables

• — Photovoltaic cells

• — Photovoltaic frames

• — Remaining fraction after specific dismantling in pre-treatment [^ntr1-L_202601116EN.000301-E0001]

• 1. Wind turbines and related infrastructure, with the following components, in particular:

• — Permanent magnets

• — Generators

• — Transformers

• — Converters and inverters

• — Cables.

• 1. Motor vehicles [^ntr2-L_202601116EN.000301-E0002] with the following components in particular:

• — Permanent magnet traction motors

• — Induction traction motors

• — Non-traction electric motors

• — Electrical and electronic components subject to re-use, recycling or any other form of recovery under relevant Union acts in their valid version

• — Converters and inventers

• — Main wiring harnesses

• — Fuel cells

• — Catalytic converters

• — Wrought aluminium components and/or parts

• — Cast aluminium components and/or parts

• — Magnesium components and/or parts.

• 1. Light means of transport.

• 1. Energy infrastructure [^ntr3-L_202601116EN.000301-E0003] and telecommunication infrastructure [^ntr4-L_202601116EN.000301-E0004].

• 1. Industrial pumps.

• 1. Industrial catalysts.

• 1. Digestate and compost from separately collected biowaste.

• 1. Sludges and ashes, in particular:

• — Sewage sludge from urban wastewater [^ntr5-L_202601116EN.000301-E0005] treatment

• — Bottom and fly ashes resulting from the mono-incineration of sludges from the treatment of urban wastewater

• — Bottom ashes from municipal solid waste incineration

• — Bottom ashes from commercial or industrial waste incineration

• 1. Construction and demolition waste, particularly focusing on aluminium, aluminium alloys, copper, copper alloys and cables in buildings.

[^ntr1-L_202601116EN.000301-E0001]: * These components can also be found as main constituents in a mixed fraction after specific end-of-life-treatment, e.g. black mass.

While not a component, the fraction of waste electrical and electronic equipment that remains after specific dismantling in pre-treatment typically contains high amounts of critical raw materials and may therefore be worth targeting in national circularity programmes.

[^ntr2-L_202601116EN.000301-E0002]: As defined in Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 and repealing Directive 2007/46/EC (OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/858/oj).

[^ntr3-L_202601116EN.000301-E0003]: As defined in Article 2, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2022/869 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2022 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2009, (EU) 2019/942 and (EU) 2019/943 and Directives 2009/73/EC and (EU) 2019/944, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 (OJ L 152, 3.6.2022, p. 45, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/869/oj).

[^ntr4-L_202601116EN.000301-E0004]: Elements referred to in the definition of ‘physical infrastructure’ as defined in Article 2, point (2) of Directive 2014/61/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on measures to reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks (OJ L 155, 23.5.2014, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/61/oj) and in Article 2, point (4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1309 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 and repealing Directive 2014/61/EU (Gigabit Infrastructure Act) (OJ L, 2024/1309, 8.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1309/oj).

Systems referred to in the definition of ‘electronic communications network’ as defined in Article 2, point (1) of Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (OJ L 321, 17.12.2018, p. 36, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/1972/oj).

[^ntr5-L_202601116EN.000301-E0005]: As defined in Article 2, point (1), of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/3019/oj).

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/1116/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)