The European Commission would like to help the European Union take a new step towards the circular economy with the communication it adopted on Wednesday 25 January. This communication focuses on the potential contained within the transformation of waste into energy and the different ways of optimising this still under exploited potential (see EUROPE 11693, 11665).
This communication is part of a “mini package” approved on Wednesday by the College of Commissioners. It also includes a draft revision of the directive on the recycling of electrical and electronic waste, the setting up of a new platform for funding innovative projects and a progress report on the implementation of an action plan for the circular economy, adopted in December 2015.
This “Package” comes just at the right time and follows the ambitious European Parliament vote on the revision of the EU “wastes” directives, which called for a recycling target of at least 70% of municipal waste by 2030 (see EUROPE 11710).
The European Commission was hoping to be able to unveil these new initiatives to the European press on the same day but its very busy agenda on Wednesday meant that it deferred this presentation to Thursday 26 January for a joint press conference between vice presidents Frans Timmermans and Jyrki Katainen.
The communication on the transformation of waste into energy will help member states to better use waste as a resource for producing energy.
The legislative proposal seeks to amend the directive on limiting certain hazardous substances in electric electronic waste and encouraging the resale of some of this equipment, particularly medical equipment, on the second-hand market, as well as repairing electric and electronic equipment. This directive already constitutes an important factor in the strategy for preventing and managing waste in the EU. The Commission would like to improve the provisions for helping hospitals save costs and for society in general to make savings in the healthcare field.
The new support platform for funding the circular economy announced by the Commission will bring together the European Investment Bank (EIB), banks in member states, public investors, as well as other stakeholders in the circular economy, to exchange these practices, identify innovative projects, facilitate agreements by the banks and help cover the financing needs in projects eligible for European strategic investment support or other EU financial instruments. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)