German Presidency aims to clean up EU waste policy
Germany has announced that it plans to use its Presidency of the European Union to finalise, or at least bring closer to completion, important provisions for the waste-management industry. Germany's position was made clear recently, in a speech delivered by Simone Probst, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Minister Probst highlighted how the increasing control of the EC on waste-management regulations has important ramifications for national policy. Germany would, she said, use its Presidency to push for better standards in waste management throughout Europe. In particular, she stressed the importance of the need to define the terms "waste" and "non-waste". The German Government is committed to take seriously the objectives of the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste-Management Act. This, she says, will allow rules to be set to ensure that recycling processes are of the highest possible standard. Referring to infringement proceedings brought against Germany by the European Commission (EC) over exports of hazardous wastes, Minister Probst stated that Germany wants to clarify its position by setting out more detailed national regulations on waste management: "We will not go along with the dismantling of environmental standards in the name of the free movement of goods," she said. The EC's objection to Germany's interpretation of EU legislation on the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste-Management Act is that it represents an inadmissible restriction to the free movement of goods. However, the recycling and disposal distinction must be clarified if EC regulations are to be implemented in this area, according to Minister Probst. "Without clarification of what constitutes recycling and what constitutes disposal, elementary waste regulations lose their credibility. This opens the way to widespread misapplication," she said. She then went on to outline plans to prioritise a proposal for a Directive on incineration of hazardous waste. This would amend Directive 94/67/EC, which currently covers incineration of non-hazardous wastes, making legislation for co-incineration more ambitious. If adopted, the regulations will also apply to existing installations after a five-year transitional period, with important implications for industry, as existing plants will have to be either upgraded or closed down. Minister Probst also drew attention to another important task during the German EU Presidency, which is to achieve the adoption of the Directive on Landfill of Waste. Germany also plans to tighten up environmental standards in the EU, particularly on allocation values set out in the technical instructions on waste requiring social supervision and the technical instructions for waste from human settlements. The German Government will also look at whether the mechanical treatment of waste represents an equally acceptable alternative to thermal residual waste treatment. Additionally, Minister Probst explained the provisions for scrap-car disposal in Europe, that are currently set out by the Council and German Presidency and awaiting approval from the European Parliament. "We want to use the EU Presidency to develop and promote effective, efficient and democratic environmental protection in areas in which - at least at a European level - hardly any progress has been made," she said. She particularly highlighted soil conservation policy, saying that the idea of prevention in soil conservation should be given the emphasis it deserves within the EU. An important focus of their efforts in improving legislation on soil conservation, she said, would lie in the European integration of accession candidates from Central and Eastern European countries.
Kraje
Germany