On Tuesday 19 March, MEPs on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted their position with a view to future interinstitutional negotiations on the regulation aimed at preventing the loss of plastic pellets in order to reduce microplastic pollution (71 votes in favour, 5 against, 1 abstention).
“I am pleased that the political groups were able to reach a consensus and strengthen Parliament’s position on the vital step of prevention, which resulted in a majority in today’s vote”, commented the dossier’s rapporteur, João Albuquerque (S&D, Portuguese).
To achieve these objectives, MEPs propose that economic operators should be required to draw up a risk assessment plan for each installation that processes more than 1,000 tonnes of plastic pellets per year. This should apply within two years of the text coming into force for large companies, three years for medium-sized companies and five years for smaller companies.
All storage and transport containers containing plastic pellets should be labelled with a specific pictogram and information relating to their hazards and potential to harm the environment. Within two years of the text coming into force, the European Commission will be asked to publish a report on the possibility of introducing chemical traceability for plastic pellets.
The text will be put to the vote in Parliament at the April plenary session. Interinstitutional negotiations will begin during the next legislature. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)