European environment ministers fully support the 2015 action plan to speed up the EU's transition to the circular economy and are urging the Commission to present measures contained in the action plan that respect the planned time frame and mobilise all the different actors. This is the main message of the conclusions adopted by the Environment Council on Monday 25 June in Luxembourg on one of the outgoing Bulgarian Presidency's priorities.
Neno Dimov, the Bulgarian Minister for the Environment and Water, who chaired the session, informed the press that “The circular economy could be one of the greatest achievements of our time because we will move to something completely new in our economic development, using waste as material to replace raw materials. It is a new way of thinking and creating a new perspective for our economy”
In its conclusions, the Council welcomes the EU's strategy on plastics proposed by the Commission and the related communications on the interface between legislation on chemical substances, products, waste (see EUROPE 11974) and follow-up.
It considers that the approach retained is appropriate. This will consist of putting product life cycles at the core of all the efforts made and politics required to facilitate the transition to the circular economy. The Council emphasises, however, the need to substantiate the question on the management and consumption of plastics whose use has a negative environmental impact.
The Council considers that the market in recycled materials and products should be further developed and that only an increase in demand for secondary raw materials can guarantee the profitability of the recycling process and facilitate investment. To this end, it is encouraging the eco-design of plastic and plastic products, which take into account reuse and recycling requirements in the conceptualisation phase. On this basis, the Council is expecting to revise and strengthen the essential requirements applicable to the packagings market. It is calling on the Commission to provide a framework as soon as possible for an integrated products policy as announced in its action plan and to extend the eco-design principle to all kinds of products, together with appropriate regulation for them. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)