MEP Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe, Italy) told us on Friday 20 November that he wants to gather broad political support for the European Parliament’s own-initiative report advocating a more sustainable single market, which is a ”strategic” initiative, he said, linked to the European Green Deal and the success of Europe’s ecological transition.
The transition to a more sustainable society in Europe requires adapting the single market, said Mr Gozi, who is the shadow rapporteur for this dossier. In his view, this particularly means promoting the sustainability of products, fighting at a European level against planned obsolescence, and establishing a right of redress for consumers.
Adopted on 26 October in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market (IMCO) (see EUROPE 12590/7), the draft report is nevertheless causing divisions “both between political groups and within groups”, the MEP acknowledged.
As proof of this, while he personally supported the draft report, other MEPs from Renew Europe who sit on the IMCO Committee abstained, as did all of the MEPs from the EPP Group.
With regard to Renew Europe, it was a case of “constructive abstention” in order to avoid the project being rejected, explained Mr Gozi, who hopes to be able to turn these abstentions into votes in favour of the report during the vote in Parliament’s plenary session to be held on Monday 23 November.
“We need to try and find balanced solutions that will get a large majority in Parliament, in order to overcome “the current divisions betweenthose who are totally focused on consumer rights and those who are blocked by the fear of increasing burdens on enterprises”, he went on to say.
There are two major points in the report that divide the political groups: programmed obsolescence and the issue of product labelling, the intention of which is to better inform consumers about sustainability.
While the left-wing groups (S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL) advocate mandatory labelling, the EPP group and part of Renew Europe are in favour of voluntary labelling, an option that was eventually included in the draft report.
As for the fight against planned obsolescence at a European level, Renew Europe will propose that the report places more emphasis on this point, Mr Gozi told us.
Led by David Cormand (Greens/EFA, France), the rapporteur for this dossier, the Greens/EFA also hope to strengthen the draft report through two proposed amendments regarding the issues of obsolescence and labelling.
They have therefore proposed that the report should call for the development of mandatory labelling, rather than voluntary labelling, in order to provide consumers at the time of purchase with information on estimated lifetime and reparability of a product.
Finally, their second amendment suggests modifying the point on programmed obsolescence out of preference for the term “premature obsolescence” of products, a notion that they believe is easier to prove.
The plenary vote is scheduled for Monday 23 November and will be preceded by a debate among MEPs. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)