Opinion of the Commission pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty, on the European Parliament's amendments to the Council's common position regarding the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Waste Statistics amending the proposal of the Commission pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty
Date: 2002-10-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: domestic waste, environmental statistics, industrial waste, information system, statistical method, waste disposal, waste management

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 25.10.2002
COM(2002) 589 final

1999/0010 (COD)

OPINION OF THE COMMISSION

pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty,
on the European Parliament's amendments
to the Council's common position regarding the
proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL

on Waste Statistics

AMENDING THE PROPOSAL OF THE COMMISSION
pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty

1999/0010 (COD)

OPINION OF THE COMMISSION

pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty,
on the European Parliament's amendments
to the Council's common position regarding the
proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL

on Waste Statistics

1.

INTRODUCTION

Article 251(2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty provides that the Commission is
to  deliver  an  opinion  on  the  amendments  proposed  by  the  European  Parliament  at  second
reading.  The  Commission  sets  out  its  opinion  below  on  the  30  amendments  adopted  by
Parliament.

2.

BACKGROUND

Proposal submitted to Parliament and Council
(COM(1999) 31 - 1999/0010(COD))

27 January 1999

Favourable opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

22 September 1999

(Amended) proposal submitted to Parliament and Council
(COM(2001) 137, 1999/0010(COD))

9 March 2001

European Parliament's Opinion (first reading):

4 September 2001

(2nd) Amended proposal adopted by the Commission
(COM(2001) 737, 1999/0010(COD))

10 December 2001

Adoption of Council common position:

15 April 2002

European Parliament's Opinion (Second reading):

4 July 2002

3.

PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSAL

The proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation on Waste Statistics
has  as  its  main  objective  the  establishment  of  a  harmonised  information  system  on
the generation and treatment of waste in the Community.

The  proposal  will  ensure  that  the  Commission  can  obtain  a  high-quality  statistical
information system, covering the requirements for implementing and monitoring EU
waste policy. It covers:

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(1) generation of waste by economic activity and by households

(2) recovery and disposal of waste.

It  will  also  enable  the  Member  States  themselves  to  gradually  adapt  their  waste
statistics and turn them into a highly informative tool.

Waste  statistics  is  at  present  based  on  voluntary  data  collection  to  Eurostat  and  on
some  reporting  obligations  to  the  Environment  DG  in  relation  to  specific  waste
streams (e.g. packaging waste). Due to data gaps, lack of comparability and lack of
timeliness,  the  information  available  is  not  fully  sufficient  to  serve  the  wider
information needs with regard to implementation of waste management policies. The
the
information  should  also  be  further  completed  for  delivering 
environmental  domain  of  the  Structural  Indicators,  which  are  used  in  the
Commission’s annual Synthesis Report.

input 

to 

4.

OPINION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  ON  THE  AMENDMENTS  BY  THE  EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT

The  Commission  accepts  the  complete  set  of  amendments  as  votedon  in  the
European Parliament plenary of the 4th of July 2002. In particular:

The transitional and derogation periods are restricted to new and for Member States
possible  difficult  areas  in  the  economic  activity  classification  (Nace),  to  give  them
more time to establish their waste statistics. The justification for these amendments
(22 and 31) and (24 and 33) is reasonable.

Amendments (23 and 32), (25 and 34), 35, (27 and 36) and 8 propose ‘pilot studies’
for  establishing  statistical  methodologies  for  some  difficult  areas.  This  follows  the
original  Commission  proposal.  The  Commission  will,  after  two  years,inform  the
European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  progress  of  the  pilot  studies,  with  the
possibility of a revision of the studies; amendment (28 and 37).

Amendments  7,  14  and  15  propose  the  inclusion  of  the  economic  activities
Agriculture and Fishing (NACE sections A and B).

Amendments 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 propose statistics on a more desaggregated
level for Organic waste (split into Vegetal waste, Animal waste and Manure). This is
relevant in relation to food safety.

Amendments 11 and 12  propose to single  out  the  relative  large  ‘Dredging  sludge’-
stream from Common sludges in the waste classification.

Amendments (29 and 38) and (30 and 39) propose a stronger text.

5.

CONCLUSION

Pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty, the Commission amends its proposal as set out
above.

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