Umbrella trade association EuRIC is making an urgent plea to EU shadow rapporteurs asking them to help end the proposed recyclate export ban.
The European Commission has proposed tougher revised rules, including pre-notification, for waste shipments.
But EuRIC argues that this essentially means it will be almost impossible to export material outside of the EU.
EuRIC secretary general Emmanuel Katrakis said: “We are aligned with the EU’s vision of establishing a circular economy where waste is recycled as a priority in Europe, not elsewhere. Yet, export restrictions must not undermine an already fragmented internal market that is reliant on demand outside of the EU.
“Where access to the market for recycled materials is prohibited, recycling simply will not take place.”
The trade association also wants the EU to enshrine mandatory recycled content targets for paper and metals as it has for plastics.
EuRIC also said that proposals to facilitate the trade of recycled materials within the EU by reducing the administration and cost burden is a step forward. But it warned that ambiguous criteria for rejecting these shipments remain. Therefore, it would like to see clearly defined harmonised criteria for preventing abuse of intra-EU waste shipments, while facilitating a deeper integration of the EU single market for recycled materials.
