Brussels, 17/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the report of the Italian euro MP Mauro Nobilia (UEN) in Strasbourg last week, the European Parliament has pronounced itself, in a final reading, in favour of reinforcing the proposal aimed at consolidating and updating European legislation on detergents and their by-products. The aim is to remove the barriers blocking the free circulation of these products, while at the same time protecting the environment and public health.
For the record, the regulations proposed and cited to replace five existing directives (of which they will extend the field of application to all surface agents classed as detergents, including those contained in softeners and washing-up liquids) and a recommendation by the Commission relating to the labelling of detergents. They should introduce new test methods to measure the final (no longer initial) biodegradability of surface-active detergents, harmonize biodegradability test methods, subject by-products introduced onto the market to an authorization procedure and establish an obligatory labelling system for detergents.
The main amendments voted by the plenary assembly call for the introduction of stricter conditions for granting derogations to biodegradability regulations and clearer labelling for consumers.
Furthermore, the plenary assembly has asked the Commission to prepare, if necessary and within three years after implementation of the regulations, a new legislative proposal to progressively eliminate phosphates in detergents or to restrict their use to specific applications. New proposals are also required for testing biodegrading in anaerobes and the biodegradability of the whole product as well as methods to evaluate ecotoxicity.
The EEA is sorry that the Parliament has not voted for an immediate ban on phosphates
Despite these amendments, environmental NGOs are far from satisfied. In a communication, the European Environment Agency (EEA) believes that the Parliament has missed the opportunity to call for a complete ban on phosphates, thus overlooking the serious pollution problems caused by detergents in new EU Member States.
'A ban on phosphates would be an effective means to deal with the pollution of our waters and fish stocks which still poses a serious problem, particularly for the Baltic Sea. Such a ban is now technically feasible and has been put off for far too long. Apparently, intensive lobbying of industry has received the Parliament's consensus', confirmed the EEA.
The EEA deplores the fact that the Commission will not deliver a possible proposal before 2007-2009 at the earliest. 'This means that the simplest and easiest measure to take in order to reach the proclaimed objective of zero eutrophication of human origin in European seas by 2010 has been undermined', stated Melissa Shinn of the EEA, pointing out that the Parliament had however realized this objective within the framework of the future thematic strategy to protect the marine environment.
Nevertheless, environmental NGOs tempered criticism of the Parliament by pointing out that the Commission's initial text was 'particularly empty'.