The CoR Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) adopted today by overwhelming majority the draft opinion on an EU action plan for the Circular Economy, elaborated by PES member Babette Winter, State Secretary for Europe and Culture in the Thuringia State Chancellery (Germany).
The opinion responds to the action plan which is part of the European Commission's Circular Economy Package, together with a series of legislative proposals on amending the EU waste policy. The action plan puts the emphasis on facilitating the transition to a stronger and more circular economy with measures covering the whole economic cycle: from design to production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials.
While welcoming the European Commission's integrated approach, the rapporteur stresses the need for stronger long-term commitments including regular monitoring of progress, and the involvement of all levels of government in the process. "Many cities and regions have already put in place concrete initiatives to promote resource efficiency and the circular economy. They are best placed to lead change on the ground, by getting citizens on board with this project", she emphasized.
Asserting the important role of consumers in moving to a more sustainable economy, Babette Winter calls for concrete measures to promote education and raise awareness among citizens, as well as for more transparent product labelling which includes information on products' environmental effects.
The rapporteur stressed the need to make Green Public Procurement (GPP) a mandatory criterion in public procurement procedures if they are above the threshold for an EU-wide call for tender, and for projects which are financed with public funds, and calls for a revision of EU legislation so that sustainable, resource-efficient products and solutions can be given preference in public procurement.
She also calls for economic instruments, such as the "polluter pays" principle, to be implemented more swiftly and for member states to use their taxation systems to promote the creation of markets for secondary raw materials.
In order to further improve the environmental performance of products, the rapporteur advocates a swift revision of the ecodesign provisions, which should define legally binding requirements as well as ensuring that in future no funding is given to production sites or product developments which do not meet them.
Finally, the rapporteur stresses the need to make the circular economy a high priority in the allocation of funds in the future EU funding period.
The PES Group will further develop the topic at the PES Group's external Group meeting, held in September at the invitation of PES Group President Catiuscia Marini in Umbria (Italy) on the theme "Circular economy: Innovation in Production-Consumption-Recycling and Reuse", with the participation of high-level representatives of the EU institutions, the Italian government, the business community and local and regional authorities from all over the EU.
