32 Amendments of Margrete AUKEN related to 2017/2087(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the Paris Agreement and the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication entitled A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy of 16th of January 2018 (COM(2018) 28),
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
– having regard to the conclusions of the Council of the European Union of the 18th of December 2017 on Eco- innovation: enabling the transition towards the circular economy,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)
Citation 10 b (new)
– having regard to the European Commission Communication as well as the staff working document of 16 January 2018 on the implementation of the circular economy package; options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas voluntary agreements or other self-regulation measures are presented as alternatives to implementing measures in the context of this directive, existing voluntary agreements have not proven to be quicker and more cost- effective than regulatory measures;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the Ecodesign Directive states that its complementarity with the REACH regulation on chemicals should contribute to increasing their respective impacts and building coherent requirements for manufacturers to apply, requirements related to the use of dangerous chemicals and its recycling have been limited so far;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Ecodesign Directive has been a successful instrument for the improvement of energy efficiency and, has resulted in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and savings for consumers; Recommends the European Commission to continue to include more product groups selected on the basis of their ecodesign potential, including both energy and material efficiency potential, as well as other environmental aspects such as use of dangerous chemicals, release of microplastics, waste generation and material input;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that the Directive requires the Commission to come forward with implementing measures where a product meets the criteria, i.e. significant volumes of products sold, significant environmental impact and potential for improvement; stresses the responsibility put on the Commission in respecting this mandate and ensuring the benefits to consumers, circular economy and the environment are effectively achieved, recognising that a failure to act at the Union level cannot be replaced by action by Member States;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that coordination with initiatives connected to the circular economy would further enhance the effectiveness of the directive; calls, therefore, for an ambitious plan on ecodesign and the circular economy, providing both environmental and consumer benefits and opportunities for growth and jobs;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the Ecodesign Directive is part of a larger toolbox and that its effectiveness is dependent on synergies with other instruments, in particular on energy labelling; considers that overlapping regulations should be avoidedpoints out that the methodology for setting Ecodesign requirements provides for identifying the best performers in the market and considers that for some products, following a top-runner approach could ensure a more timely adoption of implementing measures;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recommends that the development of a 'system-approach' to consider not only the product but the whole system required for its functioning in the Ecodesign process in order to progress towards resource efficiency; urges the Commission to include more of such system-level opportunities in the next Ecodesign Work Programme;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Urges the Commission to review if Ecodesign methodology could be used for other product categories than energy- related products; calls on the Commission to come forward with new legislation for the setting of Ecodesign standards for other product groups;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the key role of the Consultation Forum in bringing together industry, civil society and other stakeholders in the decision-making process and considers that this entity is working well;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is very concerned by the sometimes significant delays in the development of implementing measures, which create uncertainty for economic operators, meanhave meant significant missed opportunities for energy savings and can causfor consumers and associated greenhouse gas reductions, and can cause product-specific measure standards to lag behind technological developments;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to avoid delays in the adoption of implementing measures and recommends defining clear deadlines and milestones for their finalisation and for the revision of existing regulations; calls on the Commission to release a measure as soon as it is completed; calls on the Commission to no longer prioritise voluntary agreements and to only apply them when they perform better or faster result than the application of regulatory measures;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages the integration of technology learning curves into the Methodology for the Ecodesign of Energy-Related Products (MEERP) so as to anticipate technology improvements by the time the regulations enter into force and ensure their currency;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to include assessments on release of microplastics into the aquatic environment in the Ecodesign measures where appropriate; calls on the Commission to introduce mandatory requirements for microplastic filters in the review of the Ecodesign measures for household washing machines and washer dryers;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Reiterates its call for a new impetus on the circular economy aspects of products and considers that the Ecodesign Directive provides significant potential for improving resource efficiency that has so far not been used to a considerably limited extend;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to broaden the scope of assessment to also include health aspects of products;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the Commission to also introduce ethical criteria such as the origin and extraction of the materials used, as well as the social conditions of the workers and local populations;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes, therefore, that the implementation of the Ecodesign Directive – in addition to, and without compromising continued efforts to improve energy efficiency – must now address systematically for each product group the full life cycle of the products within its scope, with the setting up of minimum resource criteria covering, inter alia, robustness, durability, repairability and upgradeability, but also sharing potential, reuse, scalability, recyclability and use of recycled materials; stresses the need for the durability of the products to be based on a minimum lifespan requirement and/or a free warranty, and for obliging manufacturers/retailers to take appropriate responsibility during the entire lifecycle of a product and to boost reparability, upgradability and modularity;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Highlights the need for recyclability to be enhanced by using single or compatible plastic polymers, promoting the actual use of recycled materials;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Stresses that the use of materials and substances of critical importance, such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), or substances of toxic nature or of concern, such as for example Persistent Organic Polluters (POPs) and endocrine disruptors, shall be specifically considered under the broadened Ecodesign criteria in order to restrict their use or at least to ensure the possibility of extracting/separating them at end-of-life;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes in this regard the 2016- 2019 Ecodesign work programme, which includes commitments to develop requirements and standards for material efficiency, and urges the Commission to complete this work as a matter of priority; considers that such criteria should be product specific, based on robust analyses, focus on areas with clear improvement potential and be enforceable and verifiable by market surveillance authorities;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that the Commission has postponed action on information and communication technologies (ICT) such as mobiles and smartphones, pending further assessments and given the rapid technological changes in this product group; considers, however, that these products have a clear potential for improvements, in particular in terms of resource efficiency, and that ecodesign criteria should therefore be applied to them; stresses that the Commission should carefully assess and evaluate how to improve and verify the sustainability of such product groups for which spare parts, batteries and accessories should be easily replaceable and universal;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Highlights that resource efficiency in a circular economy also includes assessing the product's resource efficiency in terms of recycling, reuse and recovery of the product and product parts, their environmental impacts and content of hazardous substances; considers that as more than 80% of the environmental impact of a product is determined at the design stage, it is at that stage that, to a large extent, a substance of concern can be avoided, substituted or limited;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. In order to complement Member States action and to ensure a minimum level of market surveillance at Union level regarding products placed on the Union market, calls for the establishment of an independent Union Agency or authority;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the need to ensure consistency and convergence between ecodesign regulations and horizontal regulations such as Union legislation on chemicals and waste, and highlights the need to strengthen synergies with Green Public Procurement and the EU Ecolabel; highlights that especially the Ecolabel can have a clear role as benchmark for future market developments and Ecodesign requirements;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the Council conclusions of 18th of December 2017 on Eco- innovation: particularly welcomes the suggestion of a digital factsheet about the contents of substances for consumers, producers, retailers and recyclers; calls on the Commission, in consultation with the Member States and the stakeholders, to come forward with proposals on digital product factsheets;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the need to provide the general public and in particular media with clear information about the benefits of ecodesign ahead of the release of a measure, and encourages the Commission and the Member States to communicate proactively on the benefits of Ecodesign measures as an integral part of the process of adopting Ecodesign measures and to engage more actively with stakeholders to improve people’s understanding of the legislation;