The European Commission adopted a new Action Plan in March last year aimed at adjusting the European economy to a greener future, while enhancing its competitiveness while preserving the environment and securing new consumer rights. The Commission will propose a revision of EU Consumer Law to ensure that they receive reliable and relevant information on in-store products, including their lifespan, as well as the availability of repair services, spare parts and repair manuals.
“The action plan especially provides guidelines for waste, the amount of which, despite all efforts at EU level, as well as at the national level, is not reduced. The annual waste generation from the overall activities of the EU is 2.5 billion tons, or 5 tons per capita, while each citizen produces an average of almost half a ton of municipal waste. EU waste laws from the 1970s have led to significant improvements in waste management. Therefore, they need to be constantly modernized in order to fit into the circular economy and the new digital age. The action plan proposes a revision of the EU legislation on batteries, packaging, waste vehicles, as well as hazardous substances in electronic equipment, in order to prevent the generation of waste, to increase the amount of recycled material, to promote safe and clean flow of waste, ensuring high quality recycling. “All of the above is in order to reduce the total waste generation by 2030 and to halve the amount of remaining (non-recycled) municipal waste,” said the “Eko-svest” association.
According to the association, the main goal of this Action plan is to support the global transition to a circular economy and, above all, to reach a global agreement on plastics at the international level, but also to define a “secure operating space” for the use of natural resources.
