Leo Brincat against weakening EU’s environmental legislation

Malta is among the European nations who are opposing plans to dilute environmental legislation on waste and air quality as proposed by the Juncker commission.

Minister Gian Luca Galletti of Italy, holder of the rotating EU presidency, spearheaded the opposition to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s proposal to dilute legislation on air quality and to send waste and Circular Economy proposals to the drawing board during a meeting.

The Air Quality package strengthens rules first set in 1999, fixing emissions ceilings at national level for nitrogen dioxide.

The Circular Economy package, which the commission wants to redraft, contained a wide-ranging list of legally binding targets which included a 70% recycling target for municipal waste by 2030; an 80% recycling target for packaging, such as glass, paper, metal and plastic by 2030 and a ban on landfilling of all recyclable and biodegradable waste by 2025.

Frans Timmermans, first vice-president in charge of better regulation, said the Commission was withdrawing the proposal to put forward more effective legislation, but critics say there is no logic in starting an already lengthy process from scratch.

FEAD, a European federation representing the European waste and recycling firms that together employ around 320,000 people, said that it “regrets the uncertainty around the future of the EU’s Circular Economy proposals”.

When contacted Minister Leo Brincat said that he was looking forward to holding further discussions to create a greater synergy between the EU’s energy and climate policies.

But he expressed concern on the potential negative impact on environmental health that lowering the bar might have on air quality standards, particularly when there is a push to harmonise them with the much stronger WHO standards.

While remaining open to considering alternative approaches that might be put forward in the review process, strengthening the environment should remain the main priority. 

“This is a crucial and sensitive problem that impacts on us directly nationally, regionally and also at EU level”.

Malta also believes that the waste package proposal adopted by the Commission earlier this year outlined a long term and sustainable vision for waste management across the union.

Malta had supported the overall environmental objective of this package, also in light of the expected positive impacts in terms of economic growth and job creation.

Malta had previously expressed certain reservations at the proposed waste package, particularly with regard to what it considered to be over-ambitious targets for re-use and recycling as well as the objective to limit landfilling to residual waste within very tight time frames. 

“Nevertheless we had recognised then the importance to further streamline and improve the current EU waste legislative framework”. 

Brincat said that he would have preferred to continue discussions on the package rather than sending it back to the drawing board, “to ensure that the proposal is better taking into account the realities and differences which exist between member states”.

Brincat stressed that the important element to consider in such a review is the fact that ambition levels for each member state need to be realistic but at the same time focussed.

He also expressed satisfaction that Commissioner Karmenu Vella took immediate note of the concerns shown by ministers and even committed himself that the entire air package would remain on the table before the Council and the EP before any changes are considered. Vella also committed himself to relay the concerns on waste and the circular economy package expressed by all ministers present at the meeting.