Photo credits: Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
As of July 1, 2025, Denmark assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during a period marked by economic challenges for the home appliance industry. The European home appliance sector, representing a truly global industry within a highly competitive consumer market, emphasises the importance of creating a regulatory environment that reduces administrative burdens and supports innovation. This document outlines the key priorities under the Danish Presidency that are of particular importance to our sector, and our expectations in each policy area.
The home appliance industry welcomes the advancement of the Omnibus I negotiations and encourages a swift adoption of the proposal. We also call for its timely finalisation in order to provide regulatory clarity for both businesses and consumers.
Regarding Omnibus IV, we support further digitalisation of product information, which is essential to achieve true environmental benefits and reduce administrative burdens. Currently, home appliance manufacturers spend up to €170 million annually on printing paper manuals and safety instructions. While the current proposal clarifies that user manuals may be provided in digital form, it falls short by ensuring other product information can be provided in a digital format while ensuring access to paper version upon request. To realise the full environmental and economic benefits, the scope of digitalisation must be expanded to include additional product documentation.
Furthermore, we urge the Presidency to ensure that common specifications are used only as a last resort, in order to safeguard the integrity of the long-established and robust European standardisation process.
The Danish Presidency plans to strengthen the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), an important tool in preventing carbon leakage and supporting Europe’s green and competitive economy.
We encourage the President that the future downstream scope extension of CBAM cover home appliances, thereby ensuring a level playing field for European manufacturers and preventing unfair competition from regions with less stringent climate regulations. The current scope of CBAM is limited and it does not cover finished goods. For home appliances, some of which are made of around 70% of CBAM coverage goods, this presents a significant carbon leakage risk and increased cost for European manufacturers compared to importers. Extension of CBAM to downstream goods would ensure a fair and effective CBAM.
The Danish Presidency has made enhancing the EU’s digital competitiveness and technological sovereignty a priority. It will also coordinate Member States’ input on the upcoming Digital Simplification package expected in the fall, which aims to streamline cybersecurity and data-related rules.
We call for strong support for innovation and investment in digital technologies, including connected home appliances that reduce energy consumption while providing increased comfort for European consumers.
To foster an innovation-friendly environment, streamlining digital rules particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and data protection is essential. Clear and harmonised regulations will help prevent duplication and conflicting requirements, offering greater predictability for European manufacturers and supporting the development of smart, sustainable solutions.
Our proposals ([link to the paper]) aim to contribute constructively to these objectives and help shape a coherent, future-ready digital policy framework.
The Danish Presidency is committed to advancing the Customs Reform package, especially as it pertains to the challenges of e-commerce and cross-border trade.
We expect swift progress toward finalising the new Customs Code and the removal of the €150 VAT exemption threshold, which currently creates unfair advantage. Furthermore, we ask to ensure greater accountability for online marketplaces, to better protect European consumers and ensure fair competition.
Sustainable housing remains a pressing concern for many Europeans, particularly vulnerable groups. The Presidency’s focus on addressing sustainability in housing in the context of the green transition is timely and relevant.
Energy-efficient home appliances play a critical role in reducing household energy bills and combating energy poverty. We advocate for enhanced support for the uptake of energy efficient home appliances should be an integral part of housing strategies. These appliances contribute significantly to lowering energy consumption in residential buildings, with measurable cost savings for consumers.
Advancing the circular economy remains a top priority for the Danish Presidency, an ambition that aligns closely with the focus of the home appliance industry. Chemicals simplification also plays a central role in the environmental policy agenda, particularly as part of broader efforts to enable circularity.
We encourage the Presidency to work toward better-designed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and to support environmental simplification measures that reduce regulatory complexity without compromising environmental objectives. This includes simplifying e-waste regulations, establishing clear and harmonised “end-of-waste” criteria, and creating the conditions for innovative circular business models to thrive.
In the ongoing discussions on chemical regulation, it is crucial to take into account the needs of downstream users such as the home appliance sector. We support a pragmatic and risk-based approach to the revision of REACH to ensure that future measures remain both effective in safeguarding consumers and the environment but also remain practical for industry implementation.
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