Brussels, 09/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - Moving from a throwaway society which wastes resources - be it food, energy or raw materials - to a society which repairs, reuses, recycles, which treats resources efficiently, this is a requirement which contains a great many opportunities for the EU, the European Parliament stressed in Strasbourg on Thursday 9 July.
The MEPs firmly believe that by making a firm commitment in favour of a circular economy, the EU can reduce its dependency on imported resources, protect the environment, stimulate innovation, boost the competitiveness of its industry and create jobs.
In a resolution on resource efficiency and the circular economy, which was adopted by a large majority (394 votes in favour, 197 against and 82 abstentions), the MEPs urge the European Commission to submit new legislation before the end of the year, based on binding waste reduction targets and the phasing-out of landfill, a completely revised 'eco-design' directive by the end of 2016 and a policy to promote the uncoupling between economic growth and the use of resources (see EUROPE 11338).
“The circular economy is a paradigm shift, a systemic change that we are facing, as well as a huge, hidden business. But to make this happen, it needs legislative, informative, economic and cooperative actions. We need a broadening of the scope of the eco-design directive, a renewal of the waste directive and a special focus on certain areas like sustainable buildings”, said rapporteur Sirpa Pietikaïnen (EPP, Finland).
In the vote, the MEPs took position on the 'Circular economy' package of July 2014, which the Juncker Commission decided to withdraw, promising new proposals by the end of the year. The Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, confirmed this before the plenary, stating that these proposals (revision of the legislation on waste and a circular economy action plan) “will take account of the economic, social and environmental aspects” which constitute the three pillars of sustainable development, and “without which we cannot succeed in creating the conditions for a circular economy”.
The Parliament calls on the EU to achieve a sustainable model of production by 2050 at the latest and to lay down binding targets to reduce the waste generated by 2025. From 2020 onwards, the selective collection of biodegradable waste should be obligatory and the practice of incinerating recyclable and compostable waste a thing of the past.
The MEPs call for European resource-efficiency targets, based on reducing the use of resources by 30% between now and 2030 compared to 2014 (together with individual targets for the member states), but this objective would not be binding. The EPP group opposed any notion of targets.
Such an objective could generate nearly 1% of GDP and two million permanent jobs, the Parliament stresses. The MEPs call for concrete measures to fight scheduled obsolescence. The resolution calls on the Commission to lay down minimum, clear criteria for the producers' requirements of extended responsibility. Producers would pay for repair costs throughout the entire life of the guarantee, and it would be the responsibility of the producers to prove, if required, that the malfunctioning of the product was due to improper use.
In order to fight food waste, the EP calls on the Commission to promote the creation, in the member states, of conventions whereby the retail food sector would distribute unsold products to charities.
“The circular economy is a virtuous circle which we absolutely need to encourage. However, we must remain prudent. If we always seek to set the example to the rest of the world, we could end up shooting ourselves in the foot by killing off the competitiveness of our SMEs and our businesses”, said Angélique Delahaye (EPP, France). Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany), on the other hand, argues that “without ambitious targets for an efficient use of resources, we will continue to damage our ecosystems and continue with an unsustainable economy. The Commission must put forward proposals in the autumn for a binding target to increase resource efficiency by 30% between now and 2030”. In the view of Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg), “this vote sends out a clear message to the Commission. The MEPs have not forgotten Commissioner Timmermans' promises and have set the bar very high for the future proposals. This vote shows that the Parliament clearly wants to go further than the initial proposals” of the previous Commission.
The NGO Seas at Risk welcomes the fact that the Parliament has called for a 50% target for the reduction in marine waste by 2025. “This target will put across the message that we need to prevent waste or treat it as a valuable resource, rather than getting rid of it in the oceans”, said Director Emma Priestland. (Aminata Niang)