Brussels: EU ministers agreed a negotiating position on 6 November 2026 to simplify energy and tyre labelling, according to a Council announcement reported by the Brussels Times. The mandate keeps the labels that shoppers use but trims the paperwork behind them for suppliers, distributors and online sellers.

On energy labelling, the Council position allows more flexibility in how labels reach customers. Printed labels stay available on request, so buyers who want a paper label can still get one. Companies using the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, known as EPREL, would follow a once-only approach and avoid submitting the same data twice.

The mandate also tightens responsibility along the supply chain. It would strengthen accountability for non-EU manufacturers and their authorised representatives and clarify who must do what at each step. That matters for consumers because energy and tyre labelling only helps if someone answers for its accuracy.

Rescaling rules receive special attention in energy and tyre labelling. When an energy label is rescaled, products may keep the old label for four months after the rescaling date. A separate 12-month period applies to products no longer placed on the market after that date, or where the supplier ceases activity. The Council also allows possible extensions for certain product groups, so functional appliances are not discarded only because a label changed.

For tyres, the position aligns the procedure for updating label parameters with the one for energy labels. Suppliers must upload tyre test reports to the compliance section of EPREL, which only market surveillance authorities can access. The Council also consolidates the duties of suppliers and distributors to present key information in advertising, catalogues, technical promotional material, distance selling, invoices and delivery notes. The Commission could update or rescale the tyre label parts on fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise only after an impact assessment and stakeholder consultation.

The rules would enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, with a 12-month delay before several provisions apply. That timetable gives manufacturers, importers and retailers a year to adjust systems for energy and tyre labelling, though the text is not yet law.

Several details remain open. The Brussels Times report on energy and tyre labelling names no presidency, minister or vote, and it does not give the Commission proposal’s reference. The Council’s own press release on the simplification mandate is the primary source for those points, and the Brussels Times article summarises the content.

The next step is talks with the European Parliament, which are expected once Parliament has agreed its own position. Consumer groups and industry will watch whether MEPs keep the once-only approach and the supply-chain duties. Until then, energy and tyre labelling stays under current rules, and shoppers will see no change on the shelf.