What changes could have the biggest impact?

What changes could have the biggest impact? Read our selection for November 2024:

EU Commissioners-designate: facing scrutiny from MEPs
EU plastics levy: new report highlights difficult start
OECD report: how to end plastic pollution by 2040

EU Commissioners-designate: facing scrutiny from MEPs

The European Parliament is preparing for a crucial stage in the formation of the new European Commission, with the hearings of the Commissioners-designate scheduled from 4 to 12 November.

This process marks an important step in the democratic scrutiny of the EU executive and will determine whether the team proposed by President-elect Ursula von der Leyen takes office.

Each Commissioner-designate will appear before one or more parliamentary committees relevant to their proposed portfolio.

The hearings will allow MEPs to assess the competence and independence of the candidates.

The hearing of Jessika Roswall – the nominated Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy – took place on 5 November before the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

Roswall faced tough questions on topics relevant to her large portfolio – including her approach to sustainable resource use, the implementation of EU packaging rules, the REACH revision and its link to human health, and on her zero pollution plan.

Following each hearing, MEPs assess the performance of the Commissioners-designate and issue their formal opinions on each candidate, ahead of the plenary vote on the entire College of Commissioners, expected at the end of November.

At the time of writing, the decision on whether to confirm Roswall as Commissioner was postponed as MEPs required further deliberation.

The new Commission (if approved) is set to take office in early December, although delays could push this into January if replacements are needed.

EU plastics levy: new report highlights difficult start

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has published a new report evaluating the EU’s plastics levy.

This “plastic levy” is designed to reduce the spread of non-recycled plastic waste, while funding the 2021–2027 EU budget against the backdrop of the increased spending arising from the pandemic.

Each Member State is required to pay a levy of €0.80 per kilogramme of non-recycled plastic packaging waste.

According to the ECA’s assessment, Member States were insufficiently prepared for the implementation of the new approach and the data used for the assessment lacked comparability and reliability.

In 2023, the plastics levy generated €7.2 billion, representing 4% of the EU’s total revenue.

The audit highlights several key areas for improvement in the levy calculation process and makes recommendations to the European Commission for the management of future own resources.

Among the ECA’s main concerns are the lack of preparedness of Member States and delays in the Commission’s actions to monitor and support the implementation of the levy.

In addition, the report highlights that the data used to allocate resources was not sufficiently robust, which affected the assessment of the recycling targets set under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The ECA recommends that the Commission uses these findings to improve the comparability and reliability of data, while addressing the risk of waste being misclassified as recycled.

OECD report: how to end plastic pollution by 2040

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a report outlining policy scenarios for tackling global plastic pollution.

The comprehensive study presents three main policy scenarios, calling on policymakers to use a combination of regulatory measures, economic incentives and investment in innovation to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040.

The ambitious Global Action Scenario combines strong regulation with economic incentives in all countries.

It proposes a mix of bans on single-use plastics, extended producer responsibility schemes, and significant investment in waste management infrastructure.

The OECD Action Scenario focuses on OECD countries taking the lead and explores the impact of implementing advanced policies in developed economies. It highlights the potential for technological innovation and market-based solutions to reduce plastic waste.

Finally, the Regional Action Scenario examines the impact of regional cooperation in tackling plastic pollution, highlighting the importance of coordinated efforts between neighbouring countries.

The OECD’s analysis suggests that implementing these policies could lead to significant environmental benefits while creating economic opportunities. The report also acknowledges the challenges of implementing these policies globally, which include:

the need for international cooperation and harmonised standards
managing the economic impact on plastic-dependent industries, and
ensuring an equitable transition for developing countries with limited waste management infrastructure

The report is available here.