On 5 June, the Commission published its country-specific recommendations (CSRs), setting out its economic policy guidance for Member States for the next 12 to 18 months.
Overall, the Commission highlighted that thirteen Member States were experiencing imbalances (Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, and Sweden) and that three countries were experiencing excessive imbalances (Cyprus, Greece and Italy). With regards to waste specifically, the Commission noted that there is a lack of adequate waste management in a number of countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, and Romania.
In the case of France, for example, the Commission welcomed its 2018 national circular economy roadmap, as well as highlighting that the country performs above the EU average in terms of overall demand for recycled materials but noted that recycling rates for municipal waste are below average. In the case of Italy, the Commission highlighted regional differences and called on the Government to focus more on investing into waste management infrastructure across the country. For Hungary, the Commission noted that circular economy is only at its initial phase, and that recycling of municipal waste is underdeveloped.
Individual CSRs for all Member States can be found here