The decision by European Union members to agree with the European Parliament's proposed amendments to the EU Waste Framework Directive has been warmly received by the UK waste management industry.

On Wednesday (June 4), the Council of Minister's COREPER group of permanent state representatives supported a range of proposed amendments to the Directive, including setting timed recycling targets of 50% for household waste and 70% for construction and demolition waste for each EU member state (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, following the decision, the Environmental Services Association's (ESA) chief executive Dirk Hazell said: "Governments' agreement on timed European recycling targets of 50% for household waste and 70% for construction and demolition waste marks real progress in building the Recycling Society in Europe. Our industry welcomes this challenge.

"The European Parliament has been well served by its outstanding Rapporteur, Dr Caroline Jackson MEP, who stood her ground in persuading Europe's governments to accept recycling targets originating in the European Parliament," he added.

Conservative MEP Dr Jackson, who has the task of leading the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD) through the EU political process, had earlier warned the Council against backing less stringent recycling targets of 45% for household waste and 65% for construction and demolition waste (see letsrecycle.com story).

As a result she also welcomed COREPER's decision to back the tougher recycling targets, stating that: "The Council appears to have gone the extra mile to meet the Parliament. I particularly welcome the Council's willingness to raise the recycling targets for household and similar waste to 50% and to 70% for construction and demolition waste."

The draft Directive must now win approval at the European Parliament's plenary session, to be held in Strasbourg from June 16, in order to become law, and Dr Jackson was optimistic that this would happen.

"I believe this gives us a good deal to take to the Parliament for endorsement in the June plenary session," she said. "Those who oppose it should realise that this is the best deal that the Council is likely to accept and that blocking this now may risk losing everything, including the recycling targets, which the Commission has confirmed are enforceable."

Looking further into the future, Mr Hazell called for a more pro-active approach from the European Environment Agency to ensure that any targets that are passed as part of the revised WFD are reached by EU member states.

"We would very much now like to see the European Environment Agency developing a role as an auditor of national environmental agencies to ensure that, in this area and others, European environmental targets really are genuinely secured on time," he said.