Brussels, 29/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - A new stage has been reached in the circular economy saga. On Thursday 28 May, the European Commission opened an online public consultation to collect views on the main policy options envisaged. The objective is to obtain as many opinions as possible to feed into the preparation of the new action plan that will be presented by the end of 2015 when the Commission's previous legislative package is replaced. The withdrawal of this package created much comment (see EUROPE 11286).
The new package will contain draft revision of EU legislation on waste and a communication setting out an action plan for the circular economy. On this occasion, the Commission reaffirmed the fact that “the approach will be ambitious and coherent and reflect the interaction and interdependencies throughout the value chain”.
All the various stakeholders - citizens, businesses, NGOs, public authorities - are invited to make their respective contributions. The consultation is open until 20 August 2015. The questions asked will focus on the different elements involved in the economic cycle and their role in the transition towards a circular economy.
The strategic choices for developing a competitive Circular Economy in Europe will not simply look at waste policy but will address the full product lifecycle, taking into account the situation in all member states. It will include initiatives on intelligent product design, reuse and repair of products, recycling, sustainable consumption, waste policy, recycling levels, smart use of raw materials, stronger markets for secondary raw materials and specific sectorial measures.
Frans Timmermans, Commission First Vice-President, said: “Europe's future economic development must take place in a sustainable long-term perspective. We need to use our resources more intelligently, devise our products in view of their reuse and recycling and set out ambitious targets for reducing waste and recycling”.
A different public consultation on distortions to the waste market is already taking place and is open to all the different stakeholders. On 25 June 2015, the Commission will also be organising a conference for stakeholders in Brussels. The results from this conference will inform the consultation.
In addition to Timmermans, the project team preparing the new proposals is headed by Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/closing_the_loop_en.htm (Aminata Niang)