ENVE Commission to review EU waste reform
On 11 December the Committee of the Regions' (CoR) Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) Commission will meet and debate new EU waste legislation. The draft opinion to be presented by Mariana Gâju (RO/PES) Mayor of Cumpăna, acknowledges that the European Commission's legislative package - which sets new waste targets - can contribute to boosting recycling and stimulate growth in Europe. Nevertheless, Ms Gâju calls for greater financial investment, an emphasis on waste prevention and launching binding waste prevention targets.
The Commission's EU waste package- alongside other targets - will encourage Member States to recycle 70% of municipal waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030, and ban the burying of recyclable waste in landfill from 2025. These proposals all contribute to the EU's drive towards creating a "Circular Economy" where materials are re-used and waste kept to a bare minimum. In her opinion, Mariana Gâju (RO/PES) stresses that in the circular economy waste prevention is crucial so calls on the Commission to propose "binding waste prevention targets, accompanied by financial incentives, and the full implementation of the "polluter pays" principle according to the extended producer responsibility".
Previously the Committee had called for the landfilling of recyclable waste and biodegradable waste to be prohibited by 2020 so it calls on the introduction of an EU-wide target of no landfilling of such material by 1 January 2025. The draft opinion also welcomes the proposal to introduce an early warning system that monitors compliance in meeting and the introduction of mandatory annual reporting to be reviewed by an independent third party. Furthermore, Mariana Gâju's draft opinion underlines the importance of the design of packaging to ensure that they are more easily recycled, repaired or reused as a means to reduce waste.
During the ENVE Commission meeting, Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP) President of Harghita County Council, will also present his draft opinion on "Resource efficiency opportunities in the building sector". The rapporteur is concerned that the Commission's plans have "overlooked the role of local and regional authorities despite the fact that they have a major role in spurring on resource efficiency and reducing environmental impact". He further argues that the Commission does not explicitly mention the use of renewable energy which can significantly contribute to a building's sustainability through, for example, solar and wind power systems.
The draft opinion goes further and suggests that the EU should develop a compensation mechanism to help less developed regions meet the challenges involved in sustainable buildings and to secondly facilitate the expansion of green infrastructure in regions affected by changes in land use. Mr Borboly considers it equally important to analyse whether, after demolition, certain materials are suitable for reuse and which materials are harmful or contaminated. The opinion proposes that the Commission set up a platform for cooperation between the Commission, the Committee of the Regions and local and regional authorities in order to coordinate policy in this field, because strong leadership by the upper levels of local and regional administration will be decisive.