There have been legislative developments regarding the European Commission’s proposal on preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution.
The ENVI draft report prepared by MEP Joao Albuquerque was finalised in December and includes the following key changes vis-à-vis the Commission’s proposal:
- Extending the definition of microplastics to also include powders, flakes, and dust.
- Reducing the threshold of when the requirement to conduct an annual internal assessment applies and when a self-declaration of conformity is mandatory from the proposed 1,000 t/y to 250 t/y. The time period to update the self-declaration of conformity is also reduced from 5 to 2 years.
- Exemptions should only apply to micro enterprises as opposed to also small and medium-sized enterprises.
A first debate on the draft report has already been taken place on 11 January 2024, where ENVI MEPs already hinted at tabling amendments to further strengthen the provisions of the proposal (please see policy briefing note for more details). In terms of next steps, MEPs in the ENVI Committee are expected to vote on the amendments on 19 March 2024, with a final vote in plenary scheduled for 22 April 2024.
This information is kindly provided by MecTech Europe.
