A report on the state of play on negotiations surrounding the proposed Directive targeting thing-gauged plastic bags is on the agenda for Thursday's meeting of the EU's environment ministers. The Council Presidency presented a revised compromise text at the end of May, which addresses issues raised in some of the amendments adopted by the EU Parliament in its first reading vote on the proposed Directive in mid-April. The Council's proposal would give member states the option to forbid retailers from distributing thin-walled bag free of charge. Unlike the Parliament's draft legislation, the Council text would not establish a binding bag-use reduction target.
Among the other key topics to be discussed at the Council meeting are the proposed Directive on emissions from medium-sized combustion plants and on the reduction of national emissions of certain pollutants. The two proposals from the Commission's "clean air package" are to be the subject of an orientation debate. The Council is also scheduled to discuss a common position on amendment to the Directive on the on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and the 2030 framework for climate and energy policies.
