Brussels, 18/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - It is looking ever more likely that the proposal for legislation aiming to reduce consumption of single-use light plastic bags (those with a thickness of below 50 microns) in the EU will be put to the “better regulation” test (see EUROPE 11197). While the Parliament and the Council reached a last-ditch trialogue agreement in the evening of Monday 17 November, which is to be put to the member states' representatives (Coreper) on Friday morning for approval, the Commission announced on Tuesday 18 November that the text would be discussed by the College on Wednesday 19 November with a view to amending it and requesting that the Council decision on it be taken by unanimity. This could sound the death knell for the text.
“We back the objectives of this proposal which are to tackle waste and marine pollution but we want to amend some parts with a view to better regulation. Commissioners Vella and Timmermans will brief the College”, Commission spokesperson Natasha Bertaud told the press. “The Commission believes that the new compromise text poses problems on the standards for compostable packaging and has doubts over the instruments the member states could use” (they can choose from national objectives, compulsory pricing of bags or other instruments). She pointed out that, when the impact assessment was carried out on this proposal dating from a year ago (see EUROPE 10956), “eight member states did not have data that allowed appropriate national objectives to be identified and set” (our translations).
Under the terms of the agreement, the member states will be required to take measures. Either they should adopt national measures ensuring that the annual level of consumption does not exceed 90 light bags per person by 31 December 2019 and 40 bags per person by 31 December 2025 (or the equivalent in weight), or they will have to adopt instruments guaranteeing that, between now and 31 December 2018, light plastic bags are no longer provided free of charge to consumers. Ultra light bags do not come within the scope of the legislation.
Parliament had proposed a target of an 80% reduction in consumption by 2019 and a requirement that shops charge customers for single-use light plastic bags. The United Kingdom and several Central and Eastern European member states opposed this. The UK even managed to have oxodegradable plastic bags (bags which are neither recyclable nor compostable) excluded from any bans, complained the environmentalist NGOs of the EBB. (AN)