Brussels, 04/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - Could this be an indication that the Commission has gone easy on industry in the circular economy package focusing on competitiveness and growth? European industry and business have given rather a warm welcome to the new action plan and the legislative proposals presented by the Commission (see EUROPE 11444). A step in the right direction, a more balanced package, more realistic - the compliments flow in stark contrast to the criticisms of environmental NGOs and the most unhappy MEPs (see EUROPE 11445).
Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council) hailed the package as a pledge to develop best practice. “Maximising efficiency and minimising waste are good business practice and it only makes sense to consider how those same principles can be applied to the economy as a whole”, commented Director General Hubert Mandery.
The European chemical industry immediately committed itself to “ensuring the safe use of chemicals”. Cefic is disappointed, however, that the Commission appeared not to have taken the opportunity to clarify the definition of waste, and encouraged them to do so in order to ensure that valuable resources are not lost to the economy due to regulatory barriers.
Eurochambres (Association of European Chambers of Commerce & Industry) welcomed a “better balanced and more holistic” package than the 2014 package withdrawn a year ago. “There has been much discussion about the level of ambition of this package following last year's withdrawal, but fundamentally EU legislation must be workable if it is to accomplish its objectives. The Commission proposal recognises this on the whole and we hope that the co-legislators will show similar pragmatism and deliver a package that is beneficial for Europe, both environmentally and economically”, commented Arnaldo Abruzzini, secretary general of Eurochambres.
The CEEP (European Centre of Employers and Entreprises providing Public Services) sees the package as being in line with the principle of better regulation and taking the right direction for a more effective implementation by all member states.
“While being more realistic in the definition of its goals, the Strategy brings important improvements, in particular the minimum requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility and the proposals for new waste legislation with a clear definition of municipal waste and measures to further boost recycling”, said CEEP General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti.
CEEP also welcomes the holistic and wider approach of the Strategy compared to the proposal of July 2014: “It now takes into account all parts of the value chain, among others through tackling better EcoDesign as well as markets for secondary raw materials”.
It now calls for swift implementation of the strategy and no further delay in implementing legislative proposals and says it will continue its dialogue with the European institutions “to ensure the feasibility of the proposals and their effective implementation”.
CEEP says that it remains to be clarified how in particular EcoDesign can be strengthened in practice without introducing additional legally binding measures and that European institutions should also now considerably “improve the Commission's lack of ambition on landfilling”, on which CEEP would have liked a binding target. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)