Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | ENVI |
SCHALDEMOSE Christel ( S&D)
|
COLLIN-LANGEN Birgit ( PPE),
NICHOLSON James ( ECR),
JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli ( ALDE),
HÄUSLING Martin ( Verts/ALE),
PEDICINI Piernicola ( EFDD),
D'ORNANO Mireille ( ENF)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Subjects
Events
The European Parliament adopted by 559 votes to 31, with 26 abstentions a resolution on the implementation of the Food Contact Materials (FCMs) Regulation ((EC) No 1935/2004.
Members acknowledged that the Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 constitutes a solid legal basis, the objectives of which remain relevant. They considered that the adoption of specific measures to overcome shortcomings that exist in the implementation and enforcement of the legislation in place are needed.
Successes and gaps of the implementation of EU legislation : Members underlined that, while the major focus should be on the adoption of specific measures for those 13 materials not yet regulated at EU level, all relevant stakeholders point out that shortcomings exist in the implementation and enforcement of the legislation in place.
Taking account of the risks they pose to human health, the Commission should prioritise the drawing-up of specific EU measures for paper and board, varnishes and coatings, metals and alloys, printing inks and adhesives .
Given the risk of migration of mineral oils into food from food contact materials and articles made of paper and board, Parliament supported, pending the adoption of specific measures and a possible ban on mineral oils in inks, further research aimed at preventing such migration.
Members are of the opinion that the adoption of further specific measures at EU level would encourage business operators to develop safe reusable and recycled FCMs, thereby contributing to the EU’s efforts to establish a more effective circular economy.
The Commission is urged, when drawing up the measures required, to take account of the European Implementation Assessment conducted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and of the national measures which are already in force or are being prepared.
Risk assessment : aware of the important role played by EFSA (European Food and Safety Authority) in the risk assessment, Parliament called on the Commission to increase the level of funding for EFSA . It called on EFSA and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to cooperate and coordinate their work more closely.
The resolution stressed the need to:
continue with further scientific research into non-intentionally added substances (‘NIAS’) as, in contrast to known hazardous substances, their identity and structure, especially in plastics, are often unknown; extend the concept of vulnerable groups to pregnant and breastfeeding women and to include the potential effects of low-dose exposure and non-monotonic dose responses in the risk assessment criteria.
Members regretted that EFSA, in its current risk assessment procedure, does not take account of the so-called ‘ cocktail effect ’ or the effect of multiple concurrent and cumulative exposures from FCMs and other sources, which can cause adverse effects even if levels of the individual substances in the mixture are low. They exhorted the EFSA to do so in future.
The Commission is called upon to ensure:
ensure coherence between the regulations on FCMs and biocidal products and to clarify the roles of ECHA and EFSA in this respect; better coordination and a more coherent approach between the REACH and FCM legislation , in particular as regards substances classified as CMRs (categories 1A, 1B and 2) or SVHCs (extremely concerning) under REACH; ensure that harmful substances phased out under REACH are also phased out in FCMs.
Parliament also called on the Commission to consider identifying Bisphenol A (BPA) as one of the substances classified as a substance of very high concern (SVHC).
Traceability : Parliament recommended that all FCMs, whether harmonised or non-harmonised, are accompanied by a declaration of conformity (DoC) and the appropriate documentation. It insisted that imported FCMs from third countries must conform to EU standards, thus safeguarding public health and ensuring fair competition.
The Commission is called upon to establish mandatory labelling of the intended presence of nanomaterials in FCMs and to establish mandatory labelling of the composition of the FCMs.
Compliance, enforcement and controls : Parliament stressed the importance of developing EU guidelines for FCMs which would facilitate a harmonised and uniform implementation and better enforcement in the Member States. Other non-legislative policy options, such as the experience of industry self-assessment, should supplement measures to improve the enforcement of the Framework Regulation on FCMs.
The Commission is called upon to ensure that the Member States that have not already done so impose an obligation on all companies producing or importing Food Contact Materials to officially register their business activity .
Member States should increase the frequency and efficiency of official controls , based on the risk of non-compliance as well as on the health risks involved.
Lastly, Parliament called for more effective cooperation and coordination between the Member States and the Commission on the early warning system for foodstuffs and feedingstuffs, so that risks to public health can be dealt with quickly and effectively.
The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the own-initiative report by Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&D, DK) on the implementation of the Food Contact Materials (FCMs) Regulation ((EC) No 1935/2004.
Members acknowledged that the Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 constitutes a solid legal basis, the objectives of which remain relevant. They considered that the adoption of specific measures to overcome shortcomings that exist in the implementation and enforcement of the legislation in place are needed.
Specific measures : the Framework Regulation lists 17 food contact materials and articles (FCMs) which may be covered by specific measures. Out of the above 17, only 4 materials are subject to specific EU measures: plastics (including recycled plastics), ceramics, regenerated cellulose, and active and intelligent materials.
The other 13 materials listed in Annex I, the possibility remains for Member States to adopt national provisions.
While the major focus should be on the adoption of specific measures for those 13 materials not yet regulated at EU level, all relevant stakeholders point out that shortcomings exist in the implementation and enforcement of the legislation in place .
Members pointed out that, given the prevalence of the materials referred to on the EU market and the risk they pose to human health, the Commission should forthwith prioritise the drawing-up of specific EU measures for paper and board, varnishes and coatings, metals and alloys, printing inks and adhesives .
The report noted that special attention needs to be paid to those food contact materials – whether directly or indirectly in contact with food – with a higher risk of migration, such as materials surrounding liquids and high-fat foods, and to materials that are in contact with food for a long period of time.
Members urged the Commission, when drawing up the measures required, to take account of the European Implementation Assessment conducted by the European Parliament’s Research Service (DG EPRS) and of the national measures which are already in force or are being prepared.
Risk assessment : aware of the important role played by EFSA (European Food and Safety Authority) in the risk assessment of substances for use in FCMs regulated by specific measures; Members called on the Commission to increase the level of funding for EFSA . They called on EFSA and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to cooperate and coordinate their work more closely.
The report stressed the need to:
continue with further scientific research into non-intentionally added substances (‘NIAS’) as, in contrast to known hazardous substances, their identity and structure, especially in plastics, are often unknown; extend the concept of vulnerable groups to pregnant and breastfeeding women and to include the potential effects of low-dose exposure and non-monotonic dose responses in the risk assessment criteria.
Members regretted that EFSA, in its current risk assessment procedure, does not take account of the so-called ‘ cocktail effect ’ or the effect of multiple concurrent and cumulative exposures from FCMs and other sources, which can cause adverse effects even if levels of the individual substances in the mixture are low. They exhorted the EFSA to do so in future.
The Commission is called upon to ensure:
ensure coherence between the regulations on FCMs and biocidal products and to clarify the roles of ECHA and EFSA in this respect; better coordination and a more coherent approach between the REACH and FCM legislation , in particular as regards substances classified as CMRs (categories 1A, 1B and 2) or SVHCs (extremely concerning) under REACH.
Traceability : Members recommended that all FCMs, whether harmonised or non-harmonised, are accompanied by a declaration of conformity (DoC) and the appropriate documentation. They regretted, however, that, even when they are mandatory, DoCs are not always available for enforcement purposes, and their quality is not always high enough to ensure that they are a reliable source of compliance documentation.
The report insisted that imported FCMs from third countries must conform to EU standards, thus safeguarding public health and ensuring fair competition.
The Commission is called upon to establish mandatory labelling of the intended presence of nanomaterials in FCMs and to establish mandatory labelling of the composition of the FCMs.
Compliance, enforcement and controls : Members stressed the importance of developing EU guidelines for FCMs which would facilitate a harmonised and uniform implementation and better enforcement in the Member States. Other non-legislative policy options, such as the experience of industry self-assessment, should supplement measures to improve the enforcement of the Framework Regulation on FCMs.
The Commission are called upon to ensure that the Member States that have not already done so impose an obligation on all companies producing or importing Food Contact Materials to officially register their business activity .
Member States should increase the frequency and efficiency of official controls , based on the risk of non-compliance as well as on the health risks involved.
Lastly, the report called for more effective cooperation and coordination between the Member States and the Commission on the early warning system for foodstuffs and feedingstuffs, so that risks to public health can be dealt with quickly and effectively.
Documents
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2017)67
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T8-0384/2016
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A8-0237/2016
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE584.109
- Committee draft report: PE575.317
- Committee draft report: PE575.317
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE584.109
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2017)67
Activities
- Nicola CAPUTO
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Angélique DELAHAYE
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Notis MARIAS
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Alojz PETERLE
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Julia REID
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Tim AKER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marina ALBIOL GUZMÁN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jean ARTHUIS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marie-Christine ARNAUTU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jonathan ARNOTT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Hugues BAYET
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Renata BRIANO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Steeve BRIOIS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Soledad CABEZÓN RUIZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Nessa CHILDERS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Alberto CIRIO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Birgit COLLIN-LANGEN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jane COLLINS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Pál CSÁKY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Javier COUSO PERMUY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Edward CZESAK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Michel DANTIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Rachida DATI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Isabella DE MONTE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mark DEMESMAEKER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Gérard DEPREZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marielle DE SARNEZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Stefan ECK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mireille D'ORNANO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Georgios EPITIDEIOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Edouard FERRAND
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Christofer FJELLNER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lorenzo FONTANA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Francisco de Paula GAMBUS MILLET
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Elena GENTILE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Sylvie GODDYN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Beata GOSIEWSKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Françoise GROSSETÊTE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Brian HAYES
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marian HARKIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Hans-Olaf HENKEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mike HOOKEM
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Cătălin Sorin IVAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Diane JAMES
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Petr JEŽEK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marc JOULAUD
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Karin KADENBACH
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ivan JAKOVČIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Barbara KAPPEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Afzal KHAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Bernd KÖLMEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Giovanni LA VIA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Monica MACOVEI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Vladimír MAŇKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ivana MALETIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Andrejs MAMIKINS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Dominique MARTIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jean-Luc MÉLENCHON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Miroslav MIKOLÁŠIK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Louis MICHEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marlene MIZZI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Sophie MONTEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Krisztina MORVAI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- József NAGY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Momchil NEKOV
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Liadh NÍ RIADA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Franz OBERMAYR
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Gilles PARGNEAUX
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Margot PARKER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Bolesław G. PIECHA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marijana PETIR
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Salvatore Domenico POGLIESE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Franck PROUST
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Sofia RIBEIRO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Liliana RODRIGUES
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Claude ROLIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Virginie ROZIÈRE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Fernando RUAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tokia SAÏFI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Daciana Octavia SÂRBU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Olga SEHNALOVÁ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Maria Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Siôn SIMON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Monika SMOLKOVÁ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Davor ŠKRLEC
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Igor ŠOLTES
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Joachim STARBATTY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Bart STAES
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Eleftherios SYNADINOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Adam SZEJNFELD
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Tibor SZANYI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Claudia ȚAPARDEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Isabelle THOMAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Pavel TELIČKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ulrike TREBESIUS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Mylène TROSZCZYNSKI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Kazimierz Michał UJAZDOWSKI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ángela VALLINA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marie-Christine VERGIAT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Miguel VIEGAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lieve WIERINCK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Damiano ZOFFOLI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jana ŽITŇANSKÁ
Plenary Speeches (1)
Votes
A8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 4 #
NI
GUE/NGLA8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 5 #
A8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 6 #
A8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 9 #
A8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 7 #
A8-0237/2016 - Christel Schaldemose - Am 1 #
| EE | CY | MT | IE | LU | LV | LT | SI | FI | HR | AT | DK | EL | HU | SK | BG | PT | NL | BE | CZ | SE | RO | FR | ES | PL | GB | IT | DE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total |
3
|
5
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
8
|
11
|
9
|
18
|
10
|
18
|
17
|
13
|
14
|
17
|
21
|
18
|
16
|
16
|
24
|
60
|
45
|
46
|
48
|
60
|
81
|