PURPOSE: to improve waste management in the Union in
order to facilitate Europes 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 Unions 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 aiming to amend Directive
1993/31/EC on waste is part of a series of measures on
the circular economy which also includes proposals to
amend:
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 the targets
laid down in Council Directive 1999/31/EC14 setting landfill
restrictions to make them better reflect the Union's ambition
to move to a circular economy and make progress in the
implementation of the Raw Materials Initiative by reducing
landfilling of waste destined for landfills for non-hazardous
waste.
The main points are as follows:
Alignment of definitions: it is proposed that municipal waste should be
clearly defined in line with the definition used for statistical
purposes by the European Statistical Office and the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development. The definitions in
Directives 1999/31/EC should be aligned to those of Directive
2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council.
Reduction in landfill waste: Member States should take
the necessary measures to ensure that by 2030 the amount of
municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 10% of the total
amount of municipal waste generated.
Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Romania and
Slovakia may obtain five additional years for the attainment
of the target. In the event of an extension, the Member State
should take the necessary measures to reduce by 2030 the amount of
municipal waste landfilled to 20% of the total amount of municipal
waste generated.
By 31 December 2024 at the latest, the Commission should examine the target with a view
to reducing it and introducing restrictions to the landfilling of
non-hazardous waste other than municipal waste. To this end, the
Commission should send a report accompanied by a proposal, if
appropriate, shall be sent to the European Parliament and the
Council. The proposal prohibits the landfilling of biodegradable
waste that has been separately collected.
Reporting:
statistical data reported by Member States are essential for the
Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the
Member States. Member States shall report the data concerning the
implementation of the relevant provisions for each calendar year to
the Commission. They shall report this data electronically within
18 months of the end of the reporting year for which the data are
collected.
The Commission
shall review the data reported and publish a report on the results
of its review.
Early
warning system: the proposal establishes an early warning
system to detect shortcomings and allow taking action ahead of the
deadlines for meeting the targets. The Commission shall draw up
reports three years before each time-limit laid down.
Simplification
and streamlining of 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.
DELEGATED ACTS: the
proposal contains provisions empowering the Commission to adopt
delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union.