85. CallsontheCommissiontocompileacoherentandconsolidatedcollectionofalltheprovisions
banning or imposing restrictions on substances or products (including those incorporated under othersubject-headings),ortobringthemtogetherinasingleEUlegislativeinstrument,therebyensuringlegalclarity and certainty (particularly including provisions in the fields of the Water Framework Directive,the directives on electrical appliances and cars for disposal, and health and safety at work), to makethosetextsavailableontheInternetandtoupdatethematleastonceayear;
86. Callsforallnewlegislationtobeaspracticalandtransparentaspossible,sothatimplementationto
improvetheprotectionofconsumers,theenvironment,workersandallpartiesconcernedMdashparticularlybytheauthoritiesandsmallandmedium-sizedenterprisesMdashcanbeundertakenswiftly;
87. CallsontheCommissiontotestnewlegislationanditspossibleimplementationimmediatelyin
practicebymeansofspecialprojectsinordertoensurethatitisasefficientandpracticalaspossibleforallpartiesconcernedintermsofbureaucracy,costandcollectionofdata,particularlyfortheauthoritiesandsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises;
88. Invites the Commissionto consider the possibility that the JRC and in particular the European
ChemicalBureauofthiscentremaybecomethecentralisedsiteforregistration,evaluationandauthori-sationofnewchemicalsubstances,thusavoidingheterogeneouscriteriainthedifferentMemberStates;
89. CallsfortheapproachadoptedintheWhitePaperofaconsistentandintegratedEuropeansub-
stancesandproductslawnottobeconfinedtochemicals,butforacquireddatacollectionandriskassess-mentprocedurestobeappliedalsotootherareasofEUlegislationonworkplace,consumerandenviron-mentalprotection;
90. AskstheCommissiontoproduceaconsistentandcleardefinitioninEuropeanlawoftheso-called
‘substitutionprinciple’;
91. CallsontheCommissiontoencourageothercountriesto(a)makeexistingandfutureanimaltest
datapubliclyavailableand(b)acceptthevalidityofdatafromnon-animaltestswhichareacceptedwithintheEuropeanUnion;
92. RequeststheCouncilandCommissiontourgeallpartiesattheUNRio+10meetinginJohannes-
burgtomakeacommitmenttoaglobalchemicalspolicybuiltonsustainabledevelopmentandthepre-cautionaryprinciple,inaccordancewiththedefinitionoftheprecautionaryprinciplegivenbytheCom-missioninitscommunicationontheprecautionaryprinciple;
93. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncilandCommission.
10. Packaging
A5-0323/2001
European Parliament resolution on implementation of Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and pack-
aging waste (2000/2319(INI))
The European Parliament,
Mdash havingregardtoCouncilDirective75/442/EECof15July1975onwaste(1),
Mdash havingregardtotheCouncilresolutionof7May1990onwastepolicy(2),
(1) OJL194,25.7.1975,p.47.
(2) OJC122,18.5.1990,p.2.C140E/564 EN13.6.2002 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Thursday 15 November 2001
Mdash having regard to European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20December 1994 on
packagingandpackagingwaste(1),
Mdash havingregardtoCommissionDecision97/129/ECof28January1997establishingtheidentification
systemforpackagingmaterialspursuanttoEuropeanParliamentandCouncilDirective94/62/EConpackagingandpackagingwaste(
2),
Mdash having regard to CommissionDecision 97/622/EC of27May 1997 concerning questionnaires for
MemberStates’reportsontheimplementationofcertainDirectivesinthewastesector(3),
Mdash havingregardtotheReportfromtheCommissiontotheCouncilandtheEuropeanParliamentMdash
InterimReportaccordingtoArticle6(3)(a)ofDirective94/62/EConpackagingandpackagingwaste
(COM(1999)596),
Mdash havingregardtotheStrategyforSustainableDevelopment(ConclusionsoftheGöteborgEuropean
Council,15/16June2001),
Mdash havingregardtoRules47(2)and163ofitsRulesofProcedure,Mdash havingregardtothereportoftheCommitteeontheEnvironment,PublicHealthandConsumerPolicy
(A5-0323/2001),
A. whereaspackagingwastecontinuestorequireattentioninordertocontrolitseffectsontheenviron-
ment;whereastheenvironmental,economicandsocialissuesofpackagingandpackagingwasteneedtobeaddressedintheframeworkoftheStrategyforSustainableDevelopment,theSixthEnviron-mental Action Programme 2001-2010, integrated product policy and the EU’s waste managementpolicy,
B. whereasthedeadlinefortranspositionwas30June1996,amajorityoftheMemberStateshadonly
transposedtheDirectivebylate1998,
C. whereaspreventionofwasteisthehigheststepinthewastehierarchyforallpackagingmaterials,the
Directivedoesnotcontainaconcretepreventiontarget;whereasAustria,Denmark,theNetherlandsandtheUnitedKingdomhaveexperienced adecreaseinamountsofpackagingputonthemarketfrom1997to1998,Belgium,Finland,GermanyandItalyhaveexperiencedanincrease,
D. whereasin1998theMemberStatesthathadsubmitteddata(allexcept,Greece,IrelandandPortugal)
hadreachedthetargetof25%recyclingofallpackagingbyagoodmargin,withapositivetrendinallMemberStatesexceptforSpain,
E. whereasin1998allMemberStateshadreachedthemandatory15%recyclingofglassbyagood
margin, with most Member States having increased the recycling rate; whereas all Member Statesthathadsubmitteddata(allexcept,Greece,IrelandandPortugal)hadmetthemandatorytargetof15% paper and cardboard recycling; whereas 10 of the 12 Member States having submitted data(allexceptFinland,Luxembourg,andPortugal)hadreachedthemandatorytargetof15%formetal,
F. whereas in 1998 only Austria, Belgium, Germany and Sweden had reached the mandatory 15%
recycling ofplastics,which indicates that plasticsare difficult tocollect,sortandrecycle andthatadditionaleffortsareneeded,
G. whereasofthe12MemberStatesthathadsubmitteddata(allexceptGreece,Ireland,andPortugal)
onlyItaly,SpainandtheUnitedKingdomhadnotreachedthetargetof50%recoveryofallpackagingwastein1998,
H. whereastheEuropeanParliamentwishestoensurethequalityofEUrulesandregulations,sothatthey
canbecompliedwithandenforced;whereasEUrulesandregulationsneedtobesubjecttocarefulmonitoringtoassesswhetherthereisaneedtostrengthenthem,
(1) OJL365,31.12.1994,p.10.
(2) OJL50,20.2.1997,p.28.
(3) OJL256,19.9.1997,p.13.13.6.2002 EN C140E/565 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Thursday 15 November 2001
I. whereasaccordingtoArticle6(3)(b)ofDirective94/62/EC,theCommissionwasduetocomeforward
bytheendof2000withaproposalincludingtargetsfortheperiod2001-2006,
J. whereas, due totheabsenceofreliable data,environmentalperformance definedasthesavingsin
consumptionofnaturalresources,energy,waterandthereductionsonemissionsrelatedwithnewproduction,isdifficulttoexpress,
K. whereasthelackofreliabledataisinsomecasesduetothelackofharmonisationofthedeclarations
filledoutbythoseproducingandmarketingpackagingineachMemberState,
L. whereas the packaging sector involves competition between different materials, each with specific
characteristics,
M. whereasensuringthefunctioningoftheinternalmarketisoneofthetwofundamentalprinciplesof
theDirective,
N. whereastheDirectivemakesitmoredifficultforsomeMemberStateswithaprogressivepackaging
policytogoaheadonamoreenvironmentallyfriendlyway,
O. whereasallquantitativetargetssetshouldberealistic,proportionalandachievableandsetinsucha
waythattheyhelpachievetheobjectiveofpreventinganynegativeenvironmentalimpactofpackag-ingandpackagingwasteontheMemberStatesornon-membercountriesorreducesuchanimpact,
thusprovidingahighlevelofenvironmentalprotectionwhilerecognisingthefunctionofpackaging,
P. whereasrecyclingisajob-creatingindustrywhichhasapotentialforcontinuousgrowth;whereasthe
marketforrecycledmaterialsmaybedevelopedandcanbeboostedbypublicprocurementdecisions,
Q. whereas today Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a method to be taken into account when assessing a
product’senvironmentalimpact,ifconsumptionofrawmaterials,water,energy,emissionstotheairand water and residues are taken into account and if the impact on global warming, human andenvironmentaltoxicity,acidification,wasteanddepletionofnaturalresourcesarefullyconsidered,
R. whereastransportofwasteisanissueofgrowingconcernandtheenvironmentalpressurescausedby
thetransportofwastemustbereduced,sincethesepressuresarelikelytoincreaseinthefutureaswasteisseparatedintomorefractionsfordifferenttreatment,
S. whereas certain Member States, which do not have satisfactory waste management plans, should
ensurecompliancewiththepackagingrecyclingtargetsandnotinvestsolelyinnewwasteinciner-ationfacilities,
T. whereastheCommunitypackagingwastepolicyshouldaimatmaximisingdiversionfromlandfilland
optimisingtheresourcesefficiencyforthedifferentpackagingmaterials,
U. whereassomerecycledmaterialsaresubjecttoadministrativerestrictionsandobligationsbecausethey
are classified as ‘waste’ under Community legislation, despite the fact that they are valuable rawmaterials,
V. whereasthewastemanagementhierarchyMdashprevention,re-use,recycling,incineration(withenergy
recovery),landfillMdashmaynotreflectthebestenvironmentaloptioninallsituationsinviewofthenatureandscaleofthetransportoperationsitrequires,
W. whereas,incaseswhereprevention,re-useandrecyclingarenotpossible,incinerationwithenergy
recoveryistheleast-worstoptionandpreferabletolandfill,C140E/566 EN13.6.2002 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Thursday 15 November 2001
X. whereas different policy-options exists and whereas results are best reached by a mix of policies;
whereas differentiation is needed between the limited short-term revision ofthe Directive and themorefundamentalchangeforeseeninthemediumterm,
Y. whereaspackaginghasnoraisond’êtreonitsown,itsonlypurposebeingtoprotectpackagedgoods,
anditmustthereforesavemoreresourcesthanhavebeenconsumedinitsproduction,
1. NotesthatmostMemberStateswerelateintransposingtheDirectiveintotheirnationallegalsystem,
butthatallbutoneMemberStatehavenowcommunicatedimplementingmeasurestotheCommission;regretsthattheCommissionislateincomingforwardwitharevisedproposal;
2. WelcomesthatingeneralthetargetssetoutintheDirectivehavebeenmetbytheMemberStates;
regretsthattherecyclingtargetforplasticsin1998wasonlymetbyfourMemberStates;
3. ConsidersthattheDirectivecanbeimprovedbyclarifyingthemeaningofthedefinitions;callson
theCommissiontoissueaharmonisedreportingtechniqueandclearguidelinesfordataprovidersonhowtoobtainreliabledataonpackagingandpackagingwaste;
4. RegretsthatthereisnoclearevaluationoftheenvironmentalimpactoftheDirectiveorofitsimpact
onthefunctioningoftheinternalmarketandfreecompetitionbetweenthevariouspackagingmaterials;
5. UnderlinestheimportanceofthetimelyavailabilityofdataontheimplementationoftheDirective
byMemberStatesandconsidersthattheEuropeanEnvironmentAgencycanplayausefulroleindraftingreportsontheimplementationandinevaluatingtheenvironmentalimpactofthecurrentDirective;
6. ConsidersthatameaningfuloutcometotheworkofCENisparticularlyimportanttoallstakeholders
withaviewtoissuingmaterial-relatedstandardsrelatingtoparagraph1ofAnnexIItoDirective94/62/ECwhichaffordproducersgreaterlegalcertaintyasregardscompliancewithpreventionrequirements;notesthefact,however,thattheCommissionhasformallyrejectedthreeoutoffiveCENenvironmentalstan-dardsforpackaging;requeststhatCENbeaskedtocontinueitsworkondrawingupstandardsformeeting
theessentialrequirementsinAnnexIIbasedonguidanceoncriteriaforenvironmentalfriendlypackaging;
urgestheCommissiontoensurethatallstakeholdersareproperlyrepresentedintheprocess,includingrepresentativesfromconsumerandenvironmentalorganisations;requeststhatthattheessentialrequire-mentsbeputintothebodyoftherevisedlegislationincleartermswithaviewtoensuringdemocraticcontrolandscrutiny;
7. Notesthatsometwo-thirdsofpackagingisforfoodandthataproportionofthiswillbecontami-
natedbyfoodandwillthereforebemoredifficulttoseparatefromthedomesticwastestreamforrecyc-ling;
8. Remindsthe Commissionthat, in line with Article2(2)ofthe Directive, any policy ofpackaging
preventionmusttakeaccountofhygienicprotectionoffoodstuffsandotherproducts;
9. Considersthatproblemswithcrossbordertransportofpackagingwastethatlimitthepossibilitiesof
creatingscaleeconomiesneedtobeaddressedcarefullyandthatactionneedstobetakentopromotetheuseoflesspollutingmeansoftransportsuchastherailways;
10. Underlinesthatretailershavearesponsibilitytocollectpackagingandpackagingwasteandasks
MemberStatestoencourageretailerstoprovidefortheorganisationofthetake-backofpackagingandpackagingwaste;
11. Considersthattheenvironmentalburdenofpackagingandpackagingwastewilldecreasebyusinga
policymixof:
Mdash ensuringthatawastemanagementapproachisadopted,whichtakesaccountofallpossibleformsof
recyclingandrecovery,
Mdash increasingtargetsforrecycling,13.6.2002 EN C140E/567 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Thursday 15 November 2001
Mdash introducingproducerresponsibilityforthepreventionofallunnecessarypackagingandsettingtargets
forpreventionandreduction,
Mdash internalisingenvironmentalcostinthepriceofpackaging,
Mdash introducingabindinggeneral target onthereductionoftheamountofpackaging wastegoing to
landfill,
Mdash introducingeasily-accessiblemeansofcollectingpackagingforconsumers,Mdash encouragingtheuseofmaterialsthatareeasytoseparatefromthewastestream;
12. UrgestheCommissiontoinitiateandguidestakeholderdialogueonthesectoralleveltoencourage
developmentofstandardsforpackaginginthespiritoftheSixthEnvironmentalActionProgramme(savingenergy, limiting use of natural resources, banning hazardous substances and minimalisation of waste);encouragesthedevelopmentofindicators,e.g.product/packagingratios;
13. Calls on the Commissionto carry out a study on the implementation of the CEN standard on
preventionandtomeasureitsimpactinthedifferentMemberStates;
14. CallsontheCommissiontopresentaproposalfortheintroductionofapreventionandreduction
targetpermaterialforthequantityofpackagingmaterialplacedonthemarket,whereappropriate,andinthelongtermtoensurethatin-depthreviewsofsuchtargetsareconductedinordertoadaptthemtotechnicalprogress;
15. CallsontheCommissiontopresentaproposalforastrategyformodule-basedtransportpackaging
to reduce the number of transport operations which takes proper account of the role of packagingthroughoutthelogisticschain;
16. UrgestheCommissiontodevelopmeanstointroduceproducerresponsibilityinpreventingpackag-
ingwaste,meaningthateachproducerhastoproveonthebasisofaLCAthathehaschosentheenviron-mentallybestoptiontosatisfytheessentialfunctionsofpackaging;
17. CallsontheCommissiontopresentaproposaltointroducere-usetargetsforcertainpackaging
productsconsistingofmaterialswherere-useisplacedhigherinthehierarchythanrecyclingandincaseswheretheburdenoftransportdoesnotexceedtheenvironmentalbenefit,accountbeingtakenofthefactthat, in the case of materials which occur in comparatively small quantities on the European market(<10000t/a)andwhosecollectioncannotbeconcentrated,recyclinggenerallydoesnotmakesense;
18. Calls on the Commissionto present a proposal to increase the recycling targets for the period
2001-2005;
19. Notesthatinordertomakerecycledmaterialmorecompetitiveasasecondaryrawmaterialthe
pricedifferencewithvirginrawmaterialsneedstobereducedbyinternalisingenvironmentalcostsinthepriceofthesevirginrawmaterials;commendstheintroductionofamandatoryfeeontheuseofpackag-ingmaterialsthatareunabletogenerateapositivepricewhenrecycled;
20. UrgestheCommissiontodevelopadefinitionandcriteriaonwastestreamssuitableforrecovery
withtheaimofmaximisingenergyuseandminimisingreleasesofhazardoussubstances;underlinesthatasufficientincreaseinrecyclingtargetswillmakeanincreaseoftherecoverytargetobsolete;
21. Callsforageneralreductiontargetonpackagingwastegoingtolandfill;22. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncil,theCommissionandthegovern-
mentsandparliamentsoftheMemberStates.C140E/568 EN13.6.2002 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Thursday 15 November 2001