At the end of 2004, the EU Council of Ministers reached agreement on a draft Directive on Batteries and Accumulators. This Common Position text includes a number of requirements:
• a partial ban on portable nickel-cadmium batteries (with some exclusions);
• a collection target of 25% of all spent portable batteries 4 years after
transposition of the Directive;
• a collection target of 45% of all spent portable batteries 8 years after
transposition of the Directive; and
• recycling targets for collected portable batteries of between 50% and 75%.