The Council's Working Party on the Environment began discussing new compromise proposals on amending the Waste Framework Directive and other elements of European Union waste legislation late last week. The proposals related to the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) include new minimum recycling rates for municipal waste to apply from 2025 and 2030. Waste prepared for re-use would not be counted towards the achievement of the recycling target, contrary to the EU Commission’s original proposal.
Speaking at the most recent Environment Council meeting held shortly before Christmas, Slovakian environment minister László Sólymos reported significant progress at the working party's "very intense" negotiations over the course of the past few months. He was confident that the remaining gaps would be bridged and an agreement reached under the new Maltese Council presidency.
