On Thursday, 25 June, European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall attempted to reassure a series of Member States (the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) that are concerned as the entry into force of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation approaches.
The commissioner reiterated that the text would begin to partially apply as of this coming 12 August with certain provisions not applying until 2030. She believes that these new rules could “foster much-needed investments in the packaging and recycling sector and also support the [...] circular economy”.
For France, “delaying our action would weaken both our environmental ambition and the industrial investments already underway.” According to that delegation, it is now time to implement this regulation in a coordinated manner. “In this respect, adopting any measure fit to facilitate its implementation by economic stakeholders would be heading in the right direction,” France added.
Ms Roswall acknowledged, “There [are] a lot of questions to be asked, clarifications that [need] to be provided, and also unforeseen issues to solve. Together with my team, we [...] are working very, very hard, hand-in-hand, with stakeholders to provide these clarifications.”
In March, the European Commission published guidelines (see EUROPE 13839/6), and “we are continuing this process,” [the commissioner affirmed].
On 1 July, the European Commission will organise a high-level meeting of the Expert Group on Waste in order to examine the remaining or outstanding issues. It is committed to updating the ‘frequently asked questions’ regularly; to including industry, NGOs, and Member States in the implementation through consultations, expert groups, and bilateral meetings; and to supplementing the recommendations on practical aspects, notably concerning the restriction on packaging in contact with food, with further details.
As far as PFAS are concerned, the existing guidance stands: “I [am] count[ing] on you to follow the guidance consistently to ensure a harmonised enforcement in the EU,” Ms Roswall said.
The European Commission remains fully committed to adopting implementing measures in due course.
Lastly, the commissioner stressed that certain measures, including the derogations from the reuse targets that were mentioned, can only be triggered by national authorities.
The Czech note: https://aeur.eu/f/mkv (LC)