Activities of Sara MATTHIEU related to 2021/2011(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A European strategy for critical raw materials (debate)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on a European strategy for critical raw materials
Amendments (12)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
1a. whereas the recycling rates of most CRMs are very low and are close to zero for the majority of them;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls its demand in its resolution of 10 February 2021 on the New Circular Economy Action Plan1 for binding EU reduction targets for primary raw materials use2030 to significantly reduce the EU material and consumption footprints and bring them within planetary boundaries by 2050 at the latest; requests that the Commission include all possible options to minimise resource consumption in its demand scenarios for critical raw materials (CRM); highlights the need to promote reduction of consumption across all sectors in order to reduce the pressure on CRM supply chains; __________________ 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0040.
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Asks the Commission to set ambitious product design requirements for easy removal of CRMs; c, especiallsy for ambitious minimum recycled CRM content targets; requests that the Commission propose new collectionrom post-consumer waste, in addition to eco- design measures that significantly improve longevity suchemes to increase collection rates of waste products containing CRMs; asks the Commission to propose dedicated recycling targets for CRMs, by extending the approach suggested in the proposal for a regulation on batteries and waste batteries (COM(2020)0798) to other product groups as requirements for minimum lifetime, durability, reparability, modularity, reusability and recyclability of end-of-life products; reiterates its call in its resolution of 10 February 2021 on the New Circular Economy Action Plan for clear and harmonized labelling of durability and reparability of products, taking the form of a Repair Index; asks the Commission to also propose the adoption of a Recyclability Index for all electrical and electronic products, analogous to the EU Energy Label;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Requests that the Commission propose effective collection schemes to increase collection rates of waste products containing CRMs; calls for the introduction of deposit refund schemes in EU waste legislation, in particular in Directive 2012/19/EU, to incentivise consumers to bring their end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment - particularly small items - to dedicated collection and recycling facilities;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls for ambitious minimum recycled CRM content targets; calls for minimum treatment standards regarding process efficiency, environmental performance and safety for recyclers of key product groups; asks the Commission to propose dedicated recycling targets for CRMs, by extending the approach suggested in the proposal for a Regulation on batteries and waste batteries (COM(2020)0798) to other product groups; in particular, calls on the Commission to come forward with proposals to replace input-based recycling targets in Directive 2012/19/EU without put-based recycling targets, to increase the recovery of CRMs from waste electrical and electronic equipment; welcomes the ongoing Commission assessment of potential improvements to EU recycling standards for electrical and electronic equipment to increase recovery and recycling of CRM content;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Notes that the EU industry reorientation towards the circular economy requires specific skills and competences to ensure high environmental performance and worker safety; requests the Commission to include training and reskilling programmes for the circular economy as a priority in the EU Skills Agenda and in EU funding programmes;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the European Raw Materials Alliance to prioritise CRM extraction from existing mines and waste dumps over new mining; requests that the Commission assess whether current due diligence and environment rules are sufficient to guarantee minimal environmental impact of potential new mining projects in the EU, i.e., from mine tailing, waste rock, landfills and more effective urban mining, over new mining;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Commission to fully enforce current EU environmental legislation applicable to the mining sector and to assess whether such legislation is sufficient to guarantee minimal environmental impact of existing and potential new mining projects in the EU, in the light of the objectives of the European Green Deal and in particular of the Biodiversity Strategy and the upcoming Zero-Pollution Action Plan, and to adapt this legislation where necessary;
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Call on the Commission to give particular attention to the socially and environmentally responsible sourcing of all CRMs and their traceability, from inside and outside Europe, and along their whole life cycle; calls on the Commission to give particular attention to the mining sector in the upcoming mandatory due-diligence legislation due to its significant impact on the environment;
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that mining permits and concessions should include requirements for the proper recovery and processing of all CRMs; requests that the Commission urgently implement Parliament’s demands in its resolution of 27 April 2017 on implementation of the Mining Waste Directive2 ; reiterates that the questionnaire currently used as reporting system under Article 18 of the Directive is not fit for purpose, and requests the Commission to create a harmonized, digitized and transparent EU registration system that is based on harmonised definitions and treatment criteria for mining waste and that includes all the relevant environmental impact data, including the content concentrations of waste deposits; asks the Commission to establish maximum thresholds of sulphur and heavy metals concentration in waste facilities, to enhance the recovery of CRMs from mining waste and reduce potential acid drainage and pollution; __________________ 2 OJ C 298, 23.8.2018, p. 132.
Amendment 148 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages a comprehensive assessment of the mining sector’s inclusion in the scope of the Industrial Emissions Directive; considers that the high environmental impact of mining activities, the average large size of mining projects, the variations in the pollution management standards applied to mining sites across Europe, and the potential expansion of CRM mining activities in Europe are elements of a strong case for the mining sector’s inclusion in the IED scope; suggests the establishment of BATs on restoration of mines, specifically relating to soil and water;
Amendment 162 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that mining should be forbidden in nature conservation areas; calls on the Commission to evaluate legislative options to ensure that local communities are fully involved in the permit procedures for new industrial and new mining project, i.e. Natura 2000 areas and Ramsar sites, other state-designated and supranational conservation areas (e.g. UNESCO world heritage sites), Indigenous and Community Conservation Areas (ICCAs), as well as the deep seas and the Arctic; calls therefore on the Commission to review the Birds and Habitats Directives accordingly; calls on the Commission to evaluate legislative options in line with the Espoo and Aarhus Conventions to ensure that local communities have the right to effective, inclusive and mandatory participation in the permit procedures, and throughout all stages of the mining project, for new mining exploration and extraction projects and extensions of existing mines.