Activities of Marco AFFRONTE related to 2018/2035(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A European Strategy for Plastics in a circular economy - Options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation (debate) IT
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a European strategy for plastics in a circular economy PDF (487 KB) DOC (83 KB)
Amendments (44)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas lost and discarded fishing gear constitutes the bulkis one component of marine plastic litter;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the revised Port Reception Facilities Directive is intended to implement the MARPOL convention which prohibits the disposal of garbage at sea also defines an exception to "accidental loss of fishing gear from a ship provided that all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent such loss" neither the prohibition of garbage or a list of reasonable precautions have been carried over into the revised directive;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas Article 48 in the Fisheries Control Regulation is a step in the right direction, containing measures designed to promote the retrieval of lost fishing gear, it is too limited in scope as Member States are allowed to exempt the vast majority of fishing vessels from this obligation;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas discarded plastic and microplastics releases into the water toxic compounds that are ingested and that can poison and kill fish, turtles, marine mammals and seabirds;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas plastic is a valuable material which has a useful place in our society and economy in many applications, while creating major problems in other applications;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas bans on the use of microplastics in specific personal care products have been put in place in the United States and Canada; whereas several EU Member States have notified the Commission of draft laws to ban microplastics in certain cosmetics; whereas the Council also has called on the Commission to take measures on microplastics, especially from cosmetics and detergents.
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the Commission is committed to developing, where appropriate, product requirements under the Ecodesign Directive that take account of microplastics and it also has developed criteria to improve recyclability of plastics in its Ecolabel and Green Public Procurement criteria.
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to implement a port reception scheme for end-of-life nets, for waste produced on board, and for waste and litter collected at sea during fishing operations, and to use the recommendations of the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear, liaising closely with the fishing sector to fight ghost fishing; invites the Commission to assess the viability of using biodegradable fishing nets;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to encourage and finance "Fishing for litter" projects:
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission to encourage and initiate fishermen education projects in order to enhance awareness on the subject
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Invites the Commission to assess the viability of using biodegradable fishing nets and biodegradable materials for aquaculture, including "socks" used as substrate in mussels farms; invites the Commission to evaluate the possibility to forbid the widely used Styrofoam boxes on boats;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to, in line with the MARPOL convention, prohibit disposal of waste produced on board and for waste and litter collected by sea during fishing operations;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the current political momentum should be used to shift to a sustainable, non-toxic circular plastics economy;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. BelievStresses that preventing the generation of plastic waste upfront and boosting our plastics recycling performance are both key, including the reduction of the content of hazardous substances in plastics, should be the first priority in line with the waste hierarchy; considers furthermore that it is important to boost plastics recycling; calls on all stakeholders to consider the recent Chinese import ban on plastic waste as an opportunity to invest in state-of-the-art recycling capacity in the EU;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to support the development of innovative solutions which prevent microplastics from reaching the seas by introducing mandatory requirements for microplastic filters in the review of the ecodesign measures for industrial and household washing machines and washer dryers as well as in waste water treatment plants;
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission, in line with the principle of substitution and with the REACH procedures for restricting substances that pose a risk to the environment or health, as part of the plastic strategy, to urgently follow through with the process requested by the Council to restrict the use of intentionally added microplastics, by requesting the European Chemicals Agency to review the scientific basis for taking regulatory action at EU level to ban the use of microplastics in certain product categories such as personal care products, cosmetics, detergents and paints.
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is convinced that the plastics strategy should also serve as a lever for stimulating new, smart and, sustainable and non-toxic circular business, production and consumption models covering the entire value chain; calls on the Commission to foster clear linkages between the Union’s waste, chemicals and product policies to this end;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to establish a post-2020 policy for the circular economy based on internalisation of external costs and a strong research and innovation pillar, and to ensure that the necessary commitments will be available in the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF);
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. In this context welcomes the Commission's proposal for a Council decision on the system of own resource of the European Union to include a national contribution calculated on the amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste as an important driver to reduce packaging waste and stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the competent authorities in the Member States to ensure that the entire waste acquis is fully implemented and enforced;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to propose in the context of the revision of the essential requirements of the packaging waste directive due by 2020 that all plastics packaging can be reused or recycled in a cost-effective manner already in 2025, rather than 2030; calls furthermore on the Commission to propose effective substitution of hazardous substances in all packaging material by 2025;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on all industry stakeholders to deliverstart taking concrete actions now to ensure that all packaging plastics are reusable or recyclable by 203025 as well as free from hazardous substances, to couple their brand identity to sustainable and non-toxic circular business models and to use their marketing power to promote and drive sustainable and non-toxic circular consumption patterns;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Believes that civil society should be able to hold industry accountable for its commitments and obligations, as well as its impact on the environment; recalls the importance of the Aarhus Convention; asks the Commission to take this into account in the upcoming ‘New Deal for Consumers’;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to come forward with awhen update ofing the essential requirements in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, as required following its revision, to addressing in particular prevention, including the reduction of hazardous substances, design for circularity and over-packaging;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to make ‘non-toxic circularity first’ an overarching principle, also for non-packaging plastic items, by developing product standards and, revising the eco-design legislative framework, and by rolling out the Product Environmental Footprint to measure environmental performance throughout the lifecycle of a product;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Considers that Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes can play an important role in promoting eco-design, provided that there is a significant modulation of fees based on durability, repairability, re-usability, recyclability and the presence of hazardous substances;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Considers that there is a need to reduce the diversity of plastics used in short-lived products so as to facilitate recycling;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Considers PVC to be an unsustainable material, as it is chlorine- based and depends on the use of hazardous additives; PVC recycling is notoriously low and PVC creates significant pollution over its entire life- cycle; calls on the Commission to propose at least a phase-out of soft PVC as well as of any short-lived PVC applications;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to come forward swiftly with quality standards in order to build trust and incentivise the market for secondary plastics; urges the Commission to develop various grades of recycling which are aligned with the functionality of different products, while safeguarding public health, the environment and food safety;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that mandatory rules on recycled content for specific products may bare needed in order to drive the uptake of secondary raw materials; considers that by 2025, plastic products should contain a minimum of 50% of recycled plastic, while allowing for exceptions where necessary to ensure necessary performance characteristics;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Member States to consider introducing a modulatreduced value- added tax (VAT) for products containing recycled content;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the competent authorities in the Member States to optimise controls on imported materials and products in order to ensure and enforce compliance with EU chemicals and product legislation;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that the presence of a substance of concern should not be a blanket justification for precluding the recycling of waste streams for specific, well-defined andRefers to the separate Parliament resolution on the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation; Reiterates that moving towards a circular economy requires applying strictly the waste hierarchy and phasing out substances of concern where possible, in particular where safer applications, since this could stifle innovation and discourage recycling potential in favour of incineration; lternatives exist or will be developed, so as to ensure the development of non-toxic material cycles, which are essential for the sound development of a functioning secondary raw materials market;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Takes note of actions already taken in some Member States and therefore supports the Commission in coming forward with a specific legislative framework onto restrict single-use plastics with the aim of halting the generation of marine litter in the EU and thereby contributing to the goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Is convinced that the restriction of single-use plastic should take a comprehensive perspective of circular economy and not be limited to addressing marine litter; stresses that in light of the upcoming obligation to separately collect bio-waste pursuant to the revised waste framework directive, it is important to avoid the contamination of bio-waste inter alia by single-use plastic items so as not to jeopardize high-quality composting (e.g. plastic teabags, fruit stickers);
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Stresses that bio-based content, biodegradability or recyclability of plastic products should not legitimize unnecessary single use applications; recalls that prevention and reuse take priority over recycling according to the waste hierarchy;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that fiscal policy remains a Member State competence and opposes the introduction of an EU-wide plastics tax as a potential own resource stream for the EU; Supports the introduction of a national contribution based on non- recycled plastic packaging waste as an own resource for the EU and as a means towards internalizing the external costs of non-recycled plastic packaging;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the Commission to go one step further and to propose an EU tax on virgin plastics, differentiated based on their recyclability and content of hazardous materials and substances so as to move towards internalisation of external costs caused by plastics over their life-cycle;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Highlights the potential role for bio-plastics compared to conventional plastics, provided that they are sustainably sourced; points to the importance of proper lifecycle assessments in order to demonstrate a reduced environmental impact ofor all bio-plastics;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Emphasises that biodegradable plastics can help support the transition to a circular economy, but are not a universal remedy against marine litter; calls, therefore, on the Commission to develop a list of useful products and applications composed of biodegradable plastics, together with clear criteria;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Emphasises that bio-based plastics offer potential for partial feedstock differentiation and calls for further R&D investment in this regard; considers it important that the plastic strategy promotes the transition away from fossil-based plastics to sustainable bio-based plastics;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls for a ban on oxo-degradable plastic, as this type of plastic does not safely biodegrade and, is not compostable, and negatively affects the reforecycling of conventional plastic, and fails to deliver a proven environmental benefit;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on the Commission to introduce a ban on micro-plastics which are intentionally added to products, such as cosmetics and cleaning products, and for which viable alternatives are available;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls on the Commission to support research and innovation in traceability, sorting and recycling technologies for plastic products in general, not just for packaging;