WRITTEN QUESTION E-2700/99

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE), Torben Lund (PSE) and Cristina García-Orcoyen Tormo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC

Article 6(3)(b) of Directive 94/62/EC(1), adopted in 1994 after lengthy negotiations, reads:

No later than six months before the end of the five-year phase referred to in paragraph 1(a) the Council shall, acting by qualified majority and on a proposal from the Commission, fix targets for the second five-year phase referred to in paragraph 1(c). This process shall be repeated every five years thereafter.

Article 6(1)(c) reads:

No later than 10 years from the date by which this Directive must be implemented in national law, a percentage of packaging waste will be recovered and recycled, which will have to be determined by the Council in accordance with paragraph 3(b) with a view to substantially increasing the targets mentioned in paragraph (a) and (b).

Given this clear legal commitment by the Council and the EP to increase substantially the targets in a proposal to be published by the end of 1999 or early 2000, when will the Commission present its proposal for a revision of the Directive to the EP and the Council?

With more specific respect to the targets, will the Commission include a common objective for recycling and reuse?

(1) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 10.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 2000)

The obligation to revise substantially the recovery and recycling targets is provided in Article 6.3(b) and Article 6.1(c) of Directive 94/62/EC of the Parliament and the Council of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste. The compromise reached by the Parliament and the Council, after lengthy discussions in the conciliation committee, consisted of a first range of quantified targets for recovery and recycling, to be achieved by mid-2001 and a commitment by the Community legislator to significantly increase these targets in a second phase to be concluded by mid-2006.

Many people and organisations are involved in the packaging chain including economic operators, consumers, environmental organisations and authorities. They have a wide variety of different interests. This makes it necessary to set up a framework for dialogue in order to ensure a balanced approach. This process is enabling the Commission to evaluate the situation correctly and to develop possible solutions to make the Directive more effective. Several options have been presented to and discussed with interested parties and the Member States, but the measures to be finally proposed by the Commission are still under consideration internally.

The revision process is taking more time than initially foreseen. However the Commission intends to present a formal proposal for the revision of the Directive to the Council and the Parliament, in order to for them to adopt the measures in due time.