David Baldock, chief executive of the Institute for European Environmental Policy, also claimed the decision to scrap Janez Potočnik’s package in December had ignited a ‘row’ between Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans and EU environment ministers.
He said: “It [the package] didn’t necessarily have friends, fans and family. But there was quite a lot of feedback against the decision to scrap it. At this point, Mr Timmermans started saying the Commission will bring it back at a more ambitious level.
“In February there was a row as some council ministers said they had not agreed to drop it. That was when ministers said they would approve the withdrawal, but some agreed the proposals [to scrap the package] should not have been approved.”
He added: “There will be a re-emergence of this package now. I suspect it should have a strong economic dimension and I think several of the issues might come back in again.”
Mr Baldock was speaking at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group (APSRG), which addressed adopting the circular economy as a ‘policy priority’ for the next Parliament after the May election.
The Viridor-sponsored event was chaired by former environment secretary Caroline Spelman, and also included presentations from Viridor chief executive Ian McAulay, Baroness Scott of Needham Market, Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority’s David Taylor, and Professor Paul Elkins, director of the Institute for Sustainable Resources.
Food waste
Baroness Scott, who serves as chairman of the House of Lord EU sub-committee for agriculture, fisheries, environment and energy, used her presentation to suggest separate food waste collections should be prioritised at a national and European level.
She said: “Government is concerned over costs, but we don’t think they take into account the long-term benefits and the savings to be made. It does require investment and we don’t think government at times gets that or assists with the financial models in order for that to happen.”
Commenting on the EU package, she added: “We are not getting any sense from the European Commission if the package will include food waste.”
Mr Baldock added that food waste communication was ‘not on the front burner’ for the Commission’s revised package at present.
‘Pressure’
Speaking towards the end of the event, Ms Spelman said it was important that the government ‘applied pressure’ to get a more ambitious circular economy package. She added she was not privy to whether the Conservative Party’s manifesto will contain policies aimed at the resource sector.
And, Ms Spelman once again contested suggestions from delegates and speakers that the waste brief should be moved to the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills.
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