Trade bodies unite to call on MEPs to proceed with Circular Economy Package

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A number of trade associations have issued a statement calling on MEPs to support a resolution that would ask the European Commission to re-consider its decision to withdraw the Circular Economy Package.

In December, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans (pictured) announced that the Circular Economy Package developed under the previous Commission would be withdrawn and re-tabled with a more ambitious agenda.

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But trade associations across Europe representing businesses, NGOs and federations of municipalities want the previous Circular Economy Package to be retained.

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As a result, they have called on MEPs to request that the Commission keeps the original proposals when it votes to adopt a resolution on the 2015 Work Programme on 15 January. Currently, the various European Parliament political groups are feeding into this process to develop the resolution.

The statement said: “Although there are various ideas about how to improve the current set of proposals, as they were tabled by the European Commission on 2 July 2014, the Circular Economy Package already provides a strong basis for democratic discussion during the legislative process.

“We now call on Members of the European Parliament to support a resolution on the Commission’s 2015 Work Programme which urges the Commission to proceed with the ongoing legislative co-decision process.

“Given its potential for green job creation, improvements to resource security, environmental protection and inclusive development, a withdrawal of the package would represent a missed opportunity and a significant delay to its eventual implementation.

“We believe that moving through co-decision now is the most appropriate way to produce better legislation in this field. Supplementary measures to boost the level of ambition, as the new Commission has alluded to, could be also integrated during the ongoing co-decision process through amendments to the existing text.

“Withdrawing and re-tabling the proposal could lead to unnecessary and harmful regulatory uncertainty, a waste of the EU institutions’ resources and, above all, a delay in the actions and investments required by private and public entities.”

The statement was signed by:

  • Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and sustainable Resource management (ACR+), Josep Maria Tost, President
  • European Biogas Association, Jan Stambasky, President
  • European Compost Network (ECN), Stefanie Siebert, Executive Director
  • European Container Glass Federation (FEVE), Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General
  • European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Jeremy Wates, Secretary General
  • European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD), Nadine de Greef, Secretary General
  • Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), Magda Stoczkiewicz, Director
  • Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), Olaf Tschimpke, President
  • Oceana Europe, Lasse Gustavsson, Senior Vice President and Executive Director
  • Plastics Recyclers Europe, Ton Emans, President
  • Resource Association, Ray Georgeson, Chief Executive
  • RREUSE, Antigone Dalamagas, President
  • Seas at Risk, Monica Verbeek, Executive Director
  • Surfrider Foundation Europe, Gilles Assenjo, President