Brussels, 25/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has just met the request of the eight accession states seeking another transition period for implementing the objectives of the "revised" directive on packaging and packaging waste. In consideration that these countries have barely begun to put into place their recycling and packaging assessment systems, it has adopted a draft directive in which it will plans to allow accession countries to postpone the deadline for the revised directive objectives to "a date of their choice, which will in not be later than 31 December 2012".
The revised directive, adopted on 11 February 2004 at the end of conciliation procedure between Parliament and the Council, will allow for Member States to take the necessary measures for reaching the following objectives by 31 December 2008 at the latest: assessment or incineration with a 60% minimum energy evaluation (in weight) of packaging waste; recycling of a 55%-80% proportion (in weight) of packaging waste. The draft also includes, with this deadline in mind, that Member States respect the minimum recycling objectives for materials contained in packaging waste (60% - for weight for glass, paper and cardboard and 50% for metals, 22.5% for plastics and 15% for wood).