It all happened very quickly in advance of the EU Environment Council’s meeting in Brussels on December 17. The EU decided to scrap the Circular Environment package because in 2015 “we want to put something on the table that is more ambitious," first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, told MEPs.
“We will do this very quickly because we want the Circular Economy. We want to make sure the Circular Economy is approached in a circular way and not just half a way.”
The Circular Economy package was intended to phase out landfill dumping and see EU states recycle or reuse 90% of their paper by 2025 and set a target of recycling 70% of waste and 80% of their product packaging by 2030.
Shortly after the EU's intentions were revealed, EU environment ministers signalled their support for waste rules, part of the Circular Economy package axed from the European Commission’s 2015 work programme. Ambassadors from 23 member states, led by the Italy, which holds the rotating Presidency of the EU, put the waste package onto the agenda of the Council of Ministers meeting. The environment ministers of Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Slovenia had written jointly to the Commission, expressing their support for the Circular Economy package. These countries intended to show the Commission, and the European Parliament, that there was support for keeping the waste rules. Other parts of the package, and the similarly threatened Air Quality package, are not being supported in the same way at present.
The Parliament has decided to vote on a resolution on the work programme in January 2015.
Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, had asked Timmermans to screen 452 pending pieces of legislation as part of a drive for “better regulation”. 403 texts will be withdrawn, changed or re-tabled, Juncker told MEPs. The Circular Economy package is one bill facing the axe. The Commission has added that it may change some of the pending rules in the Air Quality package to increase their chances of making it onto the law books. The environment ministers are expected to agree the Council’s position on legislation to limit the emissions of certain pollutants from medium combustion plants.
The rules cover medium-sized combustion plants with a rated thermal input of between 1 and 50 MW. Such plants are a major source of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matte emissions. The Council has amended the Commission’s original proposal. It introduced different regimes depending on plant size, to reduce the regulatory burden on the smallest plants (1-5 MW). Compliance deadlines for remote plant, end of life plant, and district heating systems were also extended. The Parliament’s environmental committee is expected to vote on the bill in April 2015.
Environment ministers will also confirm an agreement with the European Parliament on rules to reduce plastic bags’ impact on the environment. The deal was struck on 17 November.
