PURPOSE: to improve waste management in the Union in order to facilitate Europe’s transition to a circular economy.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive (EU) 2018/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

CONTENT: this Directive amending Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU is part of a package of measures on the circular economy which includes a package of measures on waste, consisting of four legislative proposals laying down new rules on waste management and setting legally binding targets for recycling.

The amending Directive aims to improve waste management in the Union in order to protect, preserve and improve the quality of the environment, protect human health, ensure prudent and rational use of natural resources and encourage a more circular economy.

The amendments introduced aim to:

simplify the permit and registration requirements for small establishments or undertakings; simplify reporting obligations : it is proposed to repeal provisions obliging Member States to produce implementation reports every three years and use exclusively the statistical data which Member States report every year to the Commission; improve the reporting of statistics in order for the Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the Member States, by introducing a single entry point for all waste data, deleting obsolete reporting requirements, benchmarking national reporting methodologies and introducing a data quality check report. provide that, when preparing the reports on compliance with the targets set out in these Directives, Member States should be required to use the most recent methodology developed by the Commission and the national statistical offices of Member States; provide that when achieving the objectives of the Directive, Member States should take the necessary measures to take account of the order of priorities in the waste hierarchy set by Directive 2008/98/EC and to ensure the practical implementation of those priorities. In order to contribute to the objectives set out in the amended Directives, Member States will have to use appropriate economic instruments and take other measures to encourage the application of the waste hierarchy.

Review : in the context of the Union’s commitment to making the transition towards a circular economy, Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU should be reviewed and, if necessary, amended, taking account of their implementation and giving consideration, inter alia , to the feasibility of setting targets for specific materials contained in the relevant waste streams.

During the review of Directive 2000/53/EC, attention should also be paid to the problem of end-of-life vehicles that are not accounted for, including the shipment of used vehicles suspected to be end-of-life vehicles. During the review of Directive 2006/66/EC, the technical development of new types of batteries that do not use hazardous substances should also be taken into account.

The Commission may adopt delegated acts to amend and supplement Directive 2000/53/EC and to amend Directive 2012/19/EU.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 4.7.2018.

TRANSPOSITION: no later than 5.7.2020.

The European Parliament adopted by 568 votes to 42, with 28 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The issue had been referred back to the committee responsible for interinstitutional negotiations at the meeting of 14.3.2017.

The Directive, proposed as part of the Circular Economy Package, aims to improve the waste management in the Union, and thereby to contribute to the protection, preservation and improvement of the quality of the environment and to the prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure modified the Commission proposal as follows:

Solid and reliable data : the amended text specifies that reliable data reporting on waste management is essential for effective implementation and comparability of data between Member States.

Therefore, when reporting on the attainment of the targets set out in Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and the Council, Member States shall use the most recent rules developed by the Commission and methodologies developed by the respective national competent authorities responsible for implementing this Directive.

Measures to encourage the application of the waste hierarchy : when they achieve the objectives of the Directive, Member States shall take the necessary measures to take into account the order of priorities of the waste hierarchy laid down in Directive 2008/98/EC and ensure the practical implementation of these priorities.

In order to contribute to the objectives set out in the amended Directives, Member States shall make use of economic instruments and other measures to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy.

Review : in the context of the Union's commitment to the transition to a circular economy, Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU shall be reviewed and, if necessary, modified taking into account their implementation and, inter alia , the feasibility of setting targets for the specific materials contained in the relevant waste streams:

during the review of Directive 2000/53/EC, attention should also be paid to the problem of end-of-life vehicles that are not accounted for, including the shipment of used vehicles suspected to be end-of-life vehicles; during the review of Directive 2006/66/EC, the technical development of new types of batteries that do not use hazardous substances should also be taken into account.

The Commission shall have the power to adopt delegated acts to amend and supplement Directive 2000/53/EC and to amend Directive 2012/19/EU.

The European Parliament adopted by 624 votes to 67, with 6 abstentions, amendments to the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The matter was referred back to the committee responsible for interinstitutional negotiations . The vote on the legislative resolution was postponed to later session.

Parliament stressed that effective and sustainable circular economy requires the removal of hazardous substances from products at the design stage and in this context circular economy and on the importance of encouraging the effective and low energy consumption management of secondary raw materials . Once recycled material re-enters the economy as it receives end-of-waste status, it is required to be fully compliant with Union chemicals legislation.

Sound and reliable : the proposed amendments aim to improve the quality of the data by, inter alia, providing that the data communicated by the Member States to the Commission in accordance with Directive 2006/66 / EC on batteries and accumulators shall be accompanied by a quality check report .

The Commission should also develop, through delegated acts, a common methodology for the collection, organisation and processing of data based on reliable sources in order to guarantee the comparability and quality of data.

Evaluation reports : in the reports examining the data collection, the Commission may include information about the implementation of the Directives as a whole and their impact on the environment and human health. If appropriate, legislative proposals to amend this Directive shall accompany the reports.

Review of the Directives : by 31 December 2018, in the context of the circular economy action plan, the Commission shall review the three Directives concerned as a whole and in particular their scope and targets, based on an impact assessment. The Commission shall also examine the possibility of setting resource specific targets, in particular for critical raw materials. That review shall be accompanied by a legislative proposal, if appropriate.

Instruments to promote a shift to a more circular economy : in order to contribute to the objectives laid down in the amended Directives, Member States shall make use of adequate economic instruments and shall take other measures to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy as laid down in Directive 2008/98/EC .

Planned obsolescence : given that is an expanding issue, intrinsically contradictory with the goals of a circular economy, Members suggested that it addressed with the objective of rooting it out, through a concerted effort of all main stakeholders, industry, customers and regulatory authorities.

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report by Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

This proposal seeks to simplify the obligations of Member States as far as reporting obligations are concerned and align them with the reporting provisions in the Waste Framework Directive , the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Landfill Directive . This proposal also aims at aligning the comitology provisions to the Lisbon Treaty.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal as follows:

Sound and reliable : Member States should focus their efforts on proper collection and transmission of data to the Commission. Amendments aim to strengthen the quality of data by means of introducing a quality check in the Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators. In this regard, the data reported by the Member State shall be accompanied by a quality check report.

The Commission should also develop a common methodology for collection, organisation and processing of data in cooperation with national statistical offices in order to ensure comparability of quality data.

Evaluation reports : in the report examining the data collection, the Commission may include information about the implementation of this Directive as a whole and its impact on the environment and human health. If appropriate, a legislative proposal to amend this Directive shall accompany the reports.

Review of the Directives : by 31 December 2018, in the context of the circular economy action plan, the Commission shall review this Directive as a whole and in particular its scope and the targets, based on an impact assessment. The Commission shall also examine the possibility of setting resource specific targets, in particular for critical raw materials. That review shall be accompanied by a legislative proposal, if appropriate.

Instruments to promote a shift to a more circular economy : in order to contribute to the objectives laid down in the amended Directives, Member States shall make use of adequate economic instruments and shall take other measures to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy.

Planned obsolescence : given that is an expanding issue, intrinsically contradictory with the goals of a circular economy, Members suggested that it addressed with the objective of rooting it out, through a concerted effort of all main stakeholders, industry, customers and regulatory authorities.

Delegated acts : amendments were also introduced to align the text to the new Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 April 2016. In order to lay down the methodology for data collection and processing and the format for reporting data for batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, the power to adopt acts should be delegated to the Commission.

PURPOSE: to improve waste management in the Union in order to facilitate Europe’s transition to a circular economy.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with Council.

BACKGROUND: the Commission considers that recent trends suggest that turning waste into a resource is an essential part of increasing resource efficiency and closing the loop in a circular economy. The Union’s economy currently loses a significant amount of potential secondary raw materials that are found in waste streams. In 2013, total waste generation in the EU amounted to approximately 2.5 billion tons of which 1.6 billion tons were not reused or recycled and therefore lost for the European economy. It is estimated that an additional 600 million tons could be recycled or reused. By way of example, only a limited share (43%) of the municipal waste generated in the Union was recycled, with the rest being landfilled (31%) or incinerated (26%).

With respect to waste management , the Union also faces large differences amongst its Member States. In 2011, while six Member States landfilled less than 3% of their municipal waste, 18 landfilled over 50%, with some exceeding 90%. This uneven situation needs to be redressed.

The proposal aims to amend: (i) Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles; (ii) Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators. It is part of a series of measures on the circular economy which also includes proposals to amend:

Directive 2008/98/EC on waste ; Directive 1994/62/EC on package and packaging waste ; Directive 1999/31/EC on landfill waste.

The proposals build in part on the proposal that the Commission tabled in July 2014 and subsequently withdrew in February 2015 . They are in line with the objectives of the Resource Efficiency Roadmap and the 7th Environment Action Programme including:

full implementation of the waste hierarchy in all Member States; decline in absolute and per capita waste generation; ensuring high quality recycling and the use of recycled waste as a major, reliable source of raw materials for the Union.

They also contribute to the implementation of the EU Raw Materials Initiative and address the need to prevent food waste.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the impact assessment led to the conclusion that the options envisaged will bring the following benefits:

reduction of the administrative burden in particular for small establishments or undertakings, simplification and better implementation including by keeping targets ‘fit for purpose’; more than 170,000 direct jobs could be created by 2035, most of them impossible to delocalize outside the EU; GHG emission reduction – more than 600 millions of tons of green house gas could be avoided between 2015 and 2035; positive effects on the competitiveness of the EU waste management and recycling sectors as well as on the EU manufacturing sector ; reinjection into the EU economy of secondary raw materials which in turn will reduce the dependency of the EU on raw materials imports.

CONTENT: the proposal aims to amend Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU in order to improve waste management in the Union, with a view to protecting, preserving and improving the quality of the environment, protecting human health, ensuring prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources and promoting a more circular economy.

The proposed amendments aim to:

simplify the permit and registration requirements for small establishments or undertakings; simplify reporting obligations : it is proposed to repeal provisions obliging Member States to produce implementation reports every three years and use exclusively the statistical data which Member States report every year to the Commission; improve the reporting of statistics in order for the Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the Member States, by introducing a single entry point for all waste data, deleting obsolete reporting requirements, benchmarking national reporting methodologies and introducing a data quality check report. provide that, when preparing the reports on compliance with the targets set out in these Directives, Member States should be required to use the most recent methodology developed by the Commission and the national statistical offices of Member States.