Brussels, 15/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - To help the EU make the transition to a circular economy that is resource efficient, able to create jobs, reconciles growth and environmental sustainability, Simona Bonafè (S&D Italy), rapporteur at the European Parliament for the revision of the "waste" directive revision in the new "Circular Economy" package, presented by the Commission last December, does not lack ambition.
This is borne out by the 174 amendments she is proposing in the four reports on the revision of the six directives involved (see EUROPE 11571). They were presented on Wednesday 15 June to the European Parliament Environment Committee. They received a very warm welcome, even though EPP MEPs emphasised the need to stimulate market forces and the fact that the derogations included for waste selection were not appreciated by everybody.
After the previous Commission withdrew the legislative package, these amendments re-established the level of the EP's initial ambition for the recycling targets and suggest new ideas for emphasising waste prevention and consolidating the development of a market in secondary raw materials to rectify the "two structural weaknesses in the Commission package", explained Ms Bonafè. These two points were particularly welcomed by the members of the Environment Committee, as was the idea for a common and harmonised calculating method.
Ms Bonafè emphasised that "the European Parliament has already adopted the report by Ms Pietikäinen (EPP Finland). It is a basis for important work".
The rapporteur focused her work on the waste framework directive (2008/98/EC), which has been the subject of the majority of amendments submitted because this directive has a direct link to all the other directives ((94/62/EC "Packaging and Waste Packaging", 1999/31/EC "Waste Landfill"; 2000/53/EC out of use vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and 2012/19/EU on "Electronic and Electronic Equipment Waste" ').
Ms Bonafè explained that her objectives were "ambitious but pragmatic and realistic because they have already been achieved by certain member states. We need to take into account 28 different situations". Derogations must be included but backed up by programmes and roadmaps. Member states will be able to receive support from the European Structural Fund, for selective collections and the Juncker Plan. Her main proposals include:
-Better waste prevention through strengthening measures to reduce the production of single use products, programmed obsolescence and the production of urban waste in commerce and services, with minimum targets for the member states; the addition of an article on the reuse of products with national binding objectives set out; an urban waste quantity target per capita that the Commission is being called on to present by 2018;
- A system of responsibility expanded to producers, which includes minimum criteria in the member states, as proposed by the Commission, but which are binding on producers with regard to flows of waste, packaging and batteries, in an effort to encourage eco-compatible development;
- The inclusion of "ethics" in the legislation's objective of reducing food waste by half, which the EU has signed up to by way of its Sustainable Development Goals and a 50% reduction in marine waste production;
- Simplification of administrative procedures for measures to eliminate waste relating to bi-products and harmonising these measures as soon as possible;
- The definition of urban waste and a common and single calculating method instead of and in place of the two methods proposed by the Commission.
To create a genuine secondary raw materials market, the rapporteur believes that selection should be the basis for it. She envisages "all possible derogations according to economic, environmental and technical feasibility". She is also proposing to strengthen the quality of the selective collections and making the recycling of secondary raw materials compulsory, as well as developing economic incentives.
Directly following on from the Pietikäinen report and the 2014 the impact analysis, recycling objectives should be 60% for waste by 2025 and for packaging, 70% by 2020 and 75% by 2030. Land fill for residual waste should be limited to a 5% maximum (as opposed to 10% in the Commission proposal). For organic waste (biogas, compost, new products from new technologies), the target would be 65% by 2025, with separate collections and key incentives.
For commercial and industrial waste, the two sectors not covered, the Commission will be called to present targets on recovering raw materials by 2018.
The rapporteur also said that they would need to support all the measures in the action plan accompanying the proposal for the revision of the waste directives. This is because of the complexity of the dossier and requests made by several MEPs. The deadline for submitting amendments was deferred until 30 June at midnight. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)