The Council of the EU is making progress on the Regulation on the prevention of plastic pellet losses in order to reduce pollution (see EUROPE 13272/3), on which a political agreement (General approach) is due to be adopted at the ‘Environment’ Council on 17 December.
One of the aims is to include maritime transport in the text, which our Contexte colleagues published on Tuesday 22 October. Contacted by Agence Europe, a source close to the matter explained that this inclusion is being hotly debated, but that a slight majority was achieved at a meeting on Tuesday 22 October, while Germany is firmly opposed to it. This point will be debated by the Member States’ permanent representatives on 6 November. Furthermore, several countries would like the EU to go faster and further than recommended by the International Maritime Organization, while a majority would like the EU to align itself with these recommendations, but make them mandatory.
The Hungarian Presidency has added an article on the obligations relating to the maritime transport of plastic pellets in freight containers to its draft compromise. According to the working text, carriers at sea will, for example, have to pack plastic pellets in good quality packaging and stow containers carrying plastic pellets below deck to prevent any loss at sea. These containers would also have to be identified and their transport reported to the EU Member States concerned.
While the Commission’s proposal explained that “losses of plastic pellets are the third largest source of microplastics unintentionally released into the environment in the EU”, the draft compromise includes the pellet recycling stage in the supply chain, which will potentially be subject to reporting and risk assessment obligations. It should be noted that the Hungarian Presidency’s working text provides for the maximum amount of fines to be reduced from 4% of the company’s annual turnover in the Member State concerned to 3% of annual turnover in the EU. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)