The EU strategy on plastics, developed under the leadership of the first vice-president of the European Commission responsible for sustainable development, Frans Timmermans, could be presented by the Commission on 16 January during the meeting of the College in Strasbourg. This is already on the programme although the date has still to be confirmed, a European source said on Monday 8 January.
The Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU has already planned to hold a political debate on coming proposals during the Environment Council on 5 March (see EUROPE).
The strategy, which has long been announced to combat plastic waste, comes within the framework of the EU action plan on the circular economy (see EUROPE 11775). According to the European commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, Karmenu Vella, it is the “jewel”. Such was the term used on 7 December last after the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) (see EUROPE 11918), when announcing “very ambitious proposals” in this respect.
The strategy will have two major aims: to encourage the use of recycling and to reduce the pollution of the oceans. “If we make our economy more circular, we can tackle marine waste. If we change our ways of manufacturing by eliminating worrying substances, then we can also protect human health”, Commissioner Vella stressed.
The new strategy will aim to improve economic conditions and the quality of recycling as well as the re-use of plastics to raise the low rate of recycling and re-use and to reduce the quantity of plastic waste in the environment - and principally in the oceans - by placing special emphasis on micro-plastics (see EUROPE 11609).
Micro-plastics in viewfinder. A legislative proposal to reduce the amount of micro-plastics deliberately released into the environment is not to be ruled out. “However, the Commission also plans targeted action concerning tyres and textiles”, products for which the dissemination of micro-plastics into the environment is only a secondary effect of their use, the commissioner said.
The plastics strategy will take account of the contribution made by all actors concerned during the conference on “Reinventing Plastics” held last September on the challenges and opportunities of plastic in the circular economy which generates jobs and growth and is environmentally-friendly (see EUROPE 11869).
Until now, the EU has tackled the scourge of plastics polluting the oceans through the European directive EU 2015/720 aimed at reducing the consumption, in the EU, of light plastic bags used only once. This has allowed progress to be made, according to the first assessment published in January 2017. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)