However, despite majority opposition to withdrawing or delaying the proposed legislation, the Parliament’s political groups were unable reach agreement on the wording of an overall joint resolution, which means the European Parliament has not formally objected to the Commission’s proposed 2015 workplan.
The Commission has said that the waste package will be withdrawn and replaced with a “more ambitious” proposal by the end of 2015. It is understood the Commission wishes to combine the circular economy package with President Jean-Claude Juncker’s new Investment Plan.
When European Parliament negotiations broke down over the joint resolution this week, each political group tabled its own resolution, but none of these received overall majority support from the total 751 MEPs yesterday (January 15).
It is the first time in two parliaments that the various political groups in the Parliament have failed to agree a joint resolution on the Commission’s work programme.
MEPs from the liberal, socialist and green political groups had this week clubbed together to vote in favour of individual amendments criticising the withdrawal of the circular economy package, which received narrow majorities of between 327 and 332 votes in favour to between 283 and 309 against.
To be adopted, though, these proposed amendments needed to win overall majority support – more than half – from the 751 MEPs in the Parliament.
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The circular economy package includes proposals for Member States to recycle or reuse 70% of municipal waste by 2030 – an increase on the current 50% by 2020 target – and to ban recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, metals, glass and biodegradable waste to landfill by 2025.
Landfilling of waste would also be phased out entirely under the proposals, but it emerged late last year that the circular economy package would be dropped from the Commission’s 2015 agenda (see letsrecycle.com story).
But, despite the European Parliament failing to adopt a joint resolution yesterday, UK Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder said the vote on individual amendments still sent a message to the Commission that the majority of MEPs are against dropping the waste and recycling proposals.
Lib Dems
Mrs Bearder is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, which agreed a resolution earlier this week stating that it “disagrees strongly with proposed withdrawal” of circular economy package.
The Lib Dem MEP said: “A clear majority of MEPs have signalled that they don’t want to see a weakening of EU proposals on waste and air quality. This sends a simple message to the Commission: yes to better regulation but not at the expense of our environment.
“Businesses and the public are crying out for action to put our economies on a more sustainable footing. The Commission must deliver for them now.”
The MEP for South East England added that “almost all” right and centre-right MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) and the European People’s Party group (EPP) voted for their own resolutions which “avoided open criticism of the Commission’s plans”.
However, Conservative MEP Julie Girling said on Wednesday (January 14) that this interpretation was “not quite accurate”, adding: “There is no joint resolution because EPP and S&D can’t agree.”
Labour
Labour MEP for London, Seb Dance – who as part of the Socialists and Democrat (S&D) political group also supported a resolution against dropping the waste policy package – commented: “The S&D resolution has taken a strong position on environmental and social issues – which certainly can’t be said for the other parties.
“I’m particularly proud of our strong commitment to the air and waste packages which our group will fight to ensure remains on the Commission’s agenda in 2015. It’s a shame that the EPP motion doesn’t do the same.”
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