The European Commission has referred France to the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the country’s labelling requirements for waste sorting. The EU body alleges that France’s ‘Triman logo’, a signage informing that the product is the object of sorting rules, is a barrier to the free movement of goods.
Introduced in 2015, the ‘Triman’ logo features a figure with three arrows, indicating that a product or its packaging should be recycled. To that end it must be either placed in the corresponding bin or taken to a designated collection point, rather than disposed of with household waste.
Obstacle to free movement of goods
However, the European Union is pushing back against the spread of national labels, which Brussels sees as a barrier to creating a unified internal market strong enough to compete with China and the United States.
“National rules that lay down requirements – such as those relating labelling – to be met by goods coming from other Member States where they are lawfully manufactured and marketed, represent obstacles to free movement of goods and constitute measures of equivalent effect prohibited by Article 34 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),” said the European Commission in a statement.
Moreover, the Commission views the French requirements as disproportionate, considering that other suitable options – less restrictive of trade between Member States – are available to inform consumers.”
Harmonization in sight
The Commission had initially sent a letter of formal notice in February 2023, followed by a reasoned opinion in November 2024. Eventually, as the Commission considers that France is still in breach of EU rules, it has decided to bring the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
In order to address this type of problem, the European Union also plans to create a harmonised labelling system by August 2026, which will become mandatory on all packaging starting 12 August 2028.
