First in line

Batteries go first.

The first passport in force is the battery passport: from 18 February 2027, under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, every EV battery, light-means-of-transport battery and industrial battery over 2 kWh placed on the EU market must carry one. The EU DPP registry has been operational since 20 July 2026 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778). The ESPR product groups follow on the Commission's published timeline: iron and steel first (delegated act Q4 2026), then textiles, aluminium and tyres (Q3–Q4 2027), furniture (2028) and mattresses (2029) — each act applying no earlier than 18 months after it enters into force.