Belgium
The deadline Belgium has already missed for fishing gear
Fishing gear EPR in Belgium is a duty that exists on paper but not in practice. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) told every member state to have EPR for fishing gear containing plastic by 31 December 2024.
Belgium has no operational scheme meeting that date. Only Wallonia has formally listed plastic fishing gear as a producer-responsibility stream, in its waste decree of 9 March 2023. Flanders and Brussels implementation of the directive is unverified.
So the honest headline is a missed deadline and an uneven map, not a scheme you can join today.
What applies today in Belgium
The rules would reach fishing gear that contains plastic, following the directive's test. That is the part that is settled.
If you sit in the fishing-gear trade, the practical takeaway is to watch Wallonia and the interregional level, because as of mid-2026 there is no Belgian fishing-gear EPR to comply with.
What a future scheme would fund in Belgium
When a scheme does arrive, the directive sets what the money is for. Fishing-gear EPR is meant to cover separate collection, awareness and clean-up, with collection targets set nationally.
Because none of that operates yet, there is no contribution to quote and no fee schedule to plan around. Enforcement would sit with the regional authorities under the Walloon decree, but with no live scheme it is not exercised.
For the streams where Belgium does have working rules, compare single-use plastics in Belgium and the wider picture across EPR in Belgium. Textiles is another duty on a fixed future clock, covered under textiles in Belgium.
Frequently asked questions about fishing gear EPR in Belgium
The questions producers raise most, answered short.
Who would have to register for fishing gear EPR in Belgium?
No one yet, because no register or scheme exists. When a scheme arrives it would reach producers placing fishing gear containing plastic on the Belgian market, following the directive's plastic test.
Is there a threshold or exemption for small producers?
None is defined, because there is no operational scheme to set one. The framework detail is still absent in all three regions.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in Belgium?
Not defined. With no scheme running, there is no authorised-representative requirement for fishing gear in any region as of mid-2026.
What happens if I sell without registering?
There is no fishing-gear scheme to register with, so no stream-specific EPR duty bites yet. The directive's product bans and marking rules for single-use plastics can still apply to your goods, so those remain your responsibility.
