On 14 June 2018, the Circular Economy Package, i.e. the amendments to the most important EU waste management Directives, including the Waste Framework Directive, were published in the Official Journal of the EU. The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) (whose work HOSZ is actively involved in as a Hungarian national member), draws attention to the fact that the European Commission will develop related implementing acts and guidelines in the next one or two years on the basis of the mandate given in the Directives. The most important acts and guidelines, the preparation of which EuRIC intends to take part in are the following:

With the amount of harmful plastic litter in oceans and seas growing ever greater, the European Commission is proposing new EU-wide rules to target the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on Europe's beaches and seas, as well as lost and abandoned fishing gear.

The European Commission adopted an ambitious 'Circular Economy Package'. An EU Action Plan for the circular economy establishes a concrete programme of actions outlining measures that cover the entire product life cycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. In addition the circular economy has strong synergies with the EU’s objectives on climate and energy and with the Commission’s package on 'Clean Energy for all Europeans'. The circular economy is also instrumental in supporting the EU’s commitments on sustainability, as outlined in the Communication   ‘Next steps for a sustainable European future’ and in particular to reach Sustainable Development Goal 12 'Responsible consumption and production'.

The platform is a joint initiative by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.

In January 2018, the European Commission published its Communication on the options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation. Together with that Communication, the Commission also drew up a more detailed working document, on which it conducted a public consultation between July and October.

Related documents and other links:

• the Commission Communication
• the working document
• the public consultation

As part of the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission published new strategies and draft legislation in January 2018:

• Communication of the European Commission: A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy
• European Commission press release summarizing the key elements of the strategy
• Communication of the European Commission on the implementation of the circular economy package: options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation
• Communication of the European Commission on a monitoring framework for the circular economy
• European Commission proposal for a Directive on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships
• European Commission report on the impact of the use of oxo-degradable plastic, including oxo-degradable plastic carrier bags, on the environment
• European Commission report on Critical Raw Materials and the Circular Economy