Ambassadors of the EU member states decided in a Friday morning meeting to endorse the provisional agreement on the waste package reached in December. The compromise reached two months ago between representatives of the Parliament and Council at the end of prolonged trilogue talks covers revisions of the Waste Framework Directive, the Packaging Directive and Landfill Directive as well as amendments to numerous other pieces of legislation including those covering waste batteries and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).
According to a statement from the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (Coreper) the member states have thrown their support behind new new legally binding targets for waste recycling and the reduction of landfilling with fixed deadlines. When adopted, the legislation would establish minimum recycling thresholds for municipal waste of 55 per cent by 2025, 60 per cent by 2030 and ultimately 65 per cent by 2035. Moreover, the agreement endorsed today establishes minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility schemes (EPRs) as well as introducing new source separation requirements for textiles, hazardous waste and bio-waste from households.
The next step in the formal adoption process is scheduled for Tuesday, when the European Parliament’s Environment Committee will vote on whether to confirm the compromise. The legislation would then need to be adopted by the plenary of the EU Parliament and finally by the Council before it can go into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal.
As the waste package heads toward final adoption EUWID will be taking a closer look at the details of the deal in our upcoming print and online editions. Don’t miss any of our coverage. Click here to find out more about a trial subscription.
