Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) imposes obligations on the individuals and legal entities who place on the market, on a professional basis, in the framework of a commercial activity, for the recovery and recycling of products that have become waste. The implementation of the EPR mechanism in the Republic of Moldova faces multiple shortcomings - from the lack of the necessary infrastructure for recycling and recovery of certain types of products to ambiguous legislative provisions. Moreover, some products subject to EPR cannot be recycled or recovered due to the lack of efficient collective or individual systems.

At the same time, in the context of the new amendments to Law No. 209/2016 on waste, it is prohibited to place on the market products subject to EPR without registration in the List of Producers and advertising of these products, which has led to customs bottlenecks and trade difficulties.

In response to these pressing needs, AmCham Moldova organized on July 25 the public discussion "Challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility mechanism in Moldova", during which the following topics were addressed:

- Current situation and shortcomings in the implementation of EPR in Moldova;

- Impact of the new amendments to Law No. 209/2016 on waste on economic agents and the market of products subject to EPR;

- Ways to create collective systems for products that cannot be managed individually by economic agents;

- Strategies for the effective implementation of EPR and the registration of producers in the Producer List;

- Solutions to facilitate product collection, recycling, and recovery subject to EPR.

This activity was supported by the Future Technologies Activity (FTA), funded by USAID, Sweden and UKaid.