Green Euro-MP labels EU vote on directive a 'wasted opportunity'
16 June 2008
A plenary vote in the European Parliament today, which sealed an agreement on a second Council reading for the crucial EU Waste Framework Directive, was little more than a 'wasted opportunity', said the South East's Green MEP Caroline Lucas.
Dr Lucas MEP said: "This patchwork compromise containing both positive and negative elements is a major lost opportunity to have made real progress on waste prevention. As well as promoting incineration, the compromise also includes two potential loopholes that are likely to haunt us in the future.
"It introduces new definitions for 'by-products' and when 'waste ceases to be a waste'. This creates possibilities to unduly escape waste legislation and may well lead to a new series of court cases."
She continued: "Today's compromise means that instead of EU waste stabilisation and reduction targets we only get Commission studies on waste prevention. Instead of clear and ambitious targets for waste reuse and recycling, we get non-binding targets for 2020 that many Member States have already achieved.
"And rather than establishing separate collection and composting of bio-waste, this is left to the goodwill of Member States - and subject to yet another Commission study.
"The compromise is also a missed opportunity for climate change policy. An ambitious European waste policy could and should make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions through consequent waste prevention, recycling, and the composting of bio-waste - but the political will is unfortunately still lacking to make this happen."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
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