The Circular Economy Package will be supported by tough enforcement, a European Commission official has said.

<p style="text-align: justify;"> According to reports by EurActiv, Fulvia Raffaelli, deputy head of unit at DG Grow, lead department on the Package, said the current Commission was &ldquo;more committed&rdquo; to policing its rules than its predecessor.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> The Circular Economy Package (CEP), which was announced in December last year, includes a common EU target for recycling 65% of municipal waste by 2030 and a target for recycling 75% of packaging waste.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> It will also see a binding target to reduce landfill to maximum of 10% of all waste by 2030 and a ban on landfilling of separately collected waste.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> &ldquo;Enforcement is crucial. In DG Grow, and the whole Commission, we are all working very hard on different infringement cases&rdquo;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> The Package was first put forward by the previous Commission, but was dropped in favour of a package with a more &ldquo;ambitious proposals&rdquo;.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> &ldquo;Enforcement is crucial,&rdquo; Raffaelli said at The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) Forum in Brussels. &ldquo;In DG Grow, and the whole Commission, we are all working very hard on different infringement cases.&rdquo;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> Despite the threat of infringement cases &ndash; legal actions launched by the Commission against EU member states that fail to observe EU law and which can lead to large fines &ndash; some EU countries have continuously ignored EU legislation.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> &ldquo;Pragmatism, enforcement and implementation are much more present than before in the discussion,&rdquo; Raffaelli said. &ldquo;We need to discuss this with different member states and we are working on that.&rdquo;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> The Commission&rsquo;s second CEP has arguably lower targets than its predecessor, which could mean the justification of strong enforcement, Raffaelli said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> She also stressed the need for industries to help police the new framework by providing, detailed technical information.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"> Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ciwm-journal.co.uk/commission-pledges-tough-enforcement-circular-economy-package/">CIWM Journal</a></p>