Brussels, 31 March 2017 – On March 14 2017, the European Parliament (EP) adopted its position on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the Waste Batteries Directive based on the reports of its member, Ms Simona Bonafè. Notably the amendments to the Waste Framework Directive include minimum requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.
“By adopting ambitious, yet realistic minimum requirements for EPR schemes, the European Parliament gave a strong signal that EPR is an important element in Europe’s transition to a Circular Economy. EucoLight is particularly pleased to see that the EP wishes clarify the roles of all actors involved in EPR and to introduce more transparency in EPR.” – EucoLight Secretary General Marc Guiraud.
Other important aspects include clear delimitations of the obligations of producers and the setting up of a reporting system to gather reliable and accurate data of products put on the market (POM) for realistic collection and recycling targets.
Now that the European Parliament has adopted its position, it is expected that the Council of Ministers will preserve the extended producer responsibility requirements at EU level, a vital mechanism for the circular economy.
“It is now up to Member States to secure the good process made by the European Parliament in regard to EPR requirements. EucoLight members have more than ten years of experience with EPR and we would be happy to share our insights on the issue with Member States.” – Juan Carlos Enrique, Chairman of EucoLight and Managing Director of Ambilamp, Spain.
