Following the European Commission's presentation of its 'climate law', it is now the turn of MEPs to call for a greener economy. On Thursday 5 March, the Committee on the Environment and Public Health called for new measures to combat pharmaceutical pollution.
The draft resolution calls for the prudent use of pharmaceuticals, the development of greener manufacturing and better management of pharmaceutical waste. The text was approved by a unanimous vote of 64 votes with one abstention and still needs to be put to the vote in plenary session to be deemed adopted.
This initiative follows on from the Commission's March 2019 Communication on an EU strategic approach for pharmaceuticals in the environment, which outlines a set of actions to address the challenges of pharmaceutical pollution (see EUROPE 12211/8).
Among the key messages, MEPs believe that measures to reduce pollution should include not only end-of-pipe controls (e.g. better waste water treatment), but the whole life cycle of medicines, from design and production to disposal, in order to reduce waste. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)