WRITTEN QUESTION No. 87/98 by Carlos ROBLES PIQUER to the Commission. European Waste Catalogue
Date: 1998-01-30
Institutions: European Parliament, ROBLES PIQUER
Subjects: EU statistics, building industry, catalogue, classification, waste, waste management, waste recycling

17. 7. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/107

In accordance with the Union(cid:146)s common position on Cuba of 2 December 1996, the Council will continue to
encourage, using the means at its disposal, a process of peaceful transition to pluralist democracy and respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.

The Council hopes through this dialogue to remind the Cuban authorities of their responsibilities to the Cuban
people and of their international commitments; it hopes also to convince them that only genuine progress towards
democracy will ensure a peaceful transition that preserves Cuba(cid:146)s interests.

The release of dozens of political prisoners was announced following the visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II; the
Council hopes this will be followed by other practical steps towards democracy and respect for human rights.

(98/C 223/136)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0087/98

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission

(30 January 1998)

Subject: European Waste Catalogue

In  1994,  the  European  Union  adopted  a  European  Waste  Catalogue  with  a  view  to  the  recycling  of  waste.
Similarly, Community directives have existed for almost twenty years which many countries have incorporated
in their respective national legislations through regulations governing the demolition of buildings.

In accordance with the above-mentioned catalogue, the principle that buildings should be built in such a manner
so as to allow them to be recycled when taken apart, should be paramount. However, the situation in this regard
varies  greatly  from  country  to  country:  While  in  some  Member  States,  such  as  Spain,  only  5%  of  building
materials are recycled, in others, such as the Netherlands, this figure can be as high as 60%.

Now that three years have passed since the adoption of the European Waste Catalogue, can the Commission say
what  the  overall  level  of  compliance  is  in  the  Member  States,  and,  taking  account  of  this,  what  changes  or
adjustments might be necessary to achieve the goal of making the sight of an excavator tearing down a building a
thing of the past?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(5 March 1998)

The  European  waste  catalogue  derives  from  Decision  94/3/EC  establishing  a  list  of  wastes  in  pursuance  of
Article  1a  of  Council  Directive  75/442/EEC  on  waste (1),  as  amended  by  Council  Directive  91/156/EEC (2).
Building and demolition wastes are listed under heading 17 00 00 in that catalogue.

Building  and  demolition  wastes  have  received  the  Commission(cid:146)s  particular  attention  via  its  programme  on
priority  waste  flows  launched  in  early  1991.  Groups  of  projects  concerning  the  following  waste  flows  were
formed:  wornout  tyres,  discarded  vehicles,  chlorinated  solvents,  health-care  wastes,  electrical  and  electronic
equipment wastes, and building and demolition wastes.

All of those involved in building and demolition-waste flows have been invited to join a project group headed by
Germany. The results of the group(cid:146)s activities led to the publication, in October 1995 of a report containing an
information document, a strategy document and recommendations.

That document recommends that the Member States adopt the classification referred to above in order to ease the
comparison  of  statistical  data  and  thus  assist  in  managing  and  planning  that  flow  of  wastes  within  the
Community.

Currently the situations within the various Member States differ very widely and are difficult to compare. The
Commission  is  currently  contemplating  action  enabling  the  management  of  that  waste  flow  within  the
Community to be improved.

(1)  OJ L 5, 7.1.1994.
(2)  OJ L 78, 26.3.1991.