On 11 December, the new European Commission unveiled its ambitious plan to make the EU the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050. To reach this objective, the Commission will propose the first European ‘Climate Law’ to enshrine the 2050 climate neutrality objective in legislation and present an assessed plan to increase the EU’s 2030 emission reduction targets to at least 50%.
According to the Communication, climate action will be mainstreamed across all policies and sectors. Within the new Circular Economy Action Plan, to be published in March 2020, the Commission will adopt reduce and reuse of products over recycling. In particular, the Commission is planning the following initiatives:
- A “sustainable products” policy, focusing on supporting circular design for all products on the basis of a common methodology and principles, and prioritising reduction and reuse of materials over recycling. Under this policy, the Commission plans to strengthen extended producer responsibility.
- Particular emphasis will be placed on resource-intensive sectors, including plastics, textile, construction and electronics.
- Requirements to ensure that all packaging placed on the market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable manner by 2030 (through the planned revision of Essential
Requirements under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive). A regulatory framework for biodegradable and bio-based plastics and further measures on single-use plastics are also foreseen. - On waste avoidance and minimisation, the Commission plans to come forward with new legislation including targets and specific measures to address over-packaging and waste generation. This will include possible measures on mandatory recycled content (including for packaging) and a proposal on a EU model for separate waste collection.
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