Directives are the closest thing the EU has to laws. But that’s true, the description and implementation of Article 22 has been fairly loose.
In Sweden the article has been interpreted as mandatory food waste bins, and bans on in-sink food disposals, but it’s possible that other countries have different interpretations.
It’s possible to sample the overall vote count of a state from a small number of ballots in every precinct. There’s a high margin of error, but if the results are decisive enough, it’s possible to call a date at 2% official count.
Not sure if it’s allowed in the US, but if you can get data from counting locations before they’re officially reported, then it’s very easy to get an accurate sample well before the official numbers are clear. Exit polls help with analysis as well.
Video about the math behind it:
https://youtu.be/K-hdJIWsK3A