President. – The next item is the debate on the report by Alessandra Moretti, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, on the proposal for a regulation of the European Ϸվ and of the Council establishing a framework for setting eco-design requirements for sustainable products and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC (–C9-0132/2022–) (A9-0218/2023).
Alessandra Moretti, relatrice. – Signor Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, quella che voteremo domani è una proposta destinata ad avere un grosso impatto sulla nostra società, sulle nostre imprese e sui nostri consumatori.
Questo regolamento infatti cambierà in modo radicale le modalità di operare dell'industria in tantissimi settori, indicando al mondo produttivo la strada per gestire l'intero ciclo di vita di un prodotto, compreso il fine vita.
Un regolamento che trova la sua ratio nel rispetto dei limiti del nostro pianeta, istituendo un quadro legislativo che contribuirà a rendere i prodotti conformi a un'economia neutra dal punto di vista climatico, efficiente sotto il profilo delle risorse e circolare.
I prodotti che saranno progressivamente immessi sul mercato, quindi, dovranno essere progettati in modo tale da rispettare l'ambiente, l'ecosistema e proteggere la salute dei cittadini.
Inoltre si permetterà ai consumatori di risparmiare energia, di poter riparare i prodotti che acquistano anziché doverli gettare e di dare loro la possibilità, attraverso il passaporto digitale, di essere pienamente consapevoli circa quello che acquistano.
Il passaporto digitale rappresenta un'importante innovazione nel panorama attuale e uno strumento decisivo per promuovere la circolarità: i nuovi prodotti che saranno disponibili potranno essere infatti venduti solo se accompagnati da questo strumento, che dovrà contenere informazioni accurate e aggiornate sull'impatto ambientale dei prodotti in circolazione, al fine di consentire a tutti di fare scelte consapevoli.
Un recente studio della Corte dei conti europea ha tristemente evidenziato che le strategie e i finanziamenti europei hanno avuto finora un impatto modesto sulla transizione verso l'economia circolare e che il ritardo più marcato riguarda proprio la progettazione.
La proposta che ci apprestiamo a votare non investe solo nella gestione dei rifiuti, ma anche nella progettazione circolare: tuttavia non è solo importante come progettiamo il prodotto, è questione rilevante anche come lo realizziamo, in quali aziende e a quali condizioni di lavoro.
A livello mondiale, ad esempio, il settore tessile dà lavoro a 60 milioni di persone, principalmente donne, e spesso le paghe dei lavoratori tessili sono di gran lunga inferiori ai salari di sussistenza. Ricordiamo a tutti la tragedia del Rana Plaza, la fabbrica tessile in Bangladesh dove dieci anni fa sono morte più di 1000 persone. In quella fabbrica si realizzavano quei vestiti che, per pochi euro e senza porci troppe domande, compriamo anche qui in Europa.
Ho voluto così chiedere alla Commissione che nei prossimi anni valuti l'opportunità di estendere il campo di applicazione della proposta anche ai requisiti di sostenibilità sociale e di dovuta diligenza.
Nella sola Europa, poi, ciascuno di noi scarta circa dodici chili di vestiti ogni anno e la maggior parte di questi scarti va ad aumentare l'inquinamento degli ecosistemi di tutto il mondo ma, senza ipocrisie, dobbiamo dire che va ad inquinare soprattutto i paesi più poveri, che da sempre diventano il ricettacolo di quanto noi occidentali scartiamo.
C'è, inoltre, il tema dei prodotti invenduti. Questo regolamento introduce un divieto diretto alla distruzione dei prodotti di consumo invenduti, che dovrebbe applicarsi ai tessili e agli apparecchi elettronici. Alla fine del loro ciclo di vita i prodotti non saranno più un rifiuto, fonte di inquinamento, ma una nuova risorsa da utilizzare nel processo produttivo.
La proposta si propone infine di migliorare il potenziale del mercato unico, rafforzando le attività di sorveglianza del mercato, garantendo alle imprese, in particolare le piccole e medie, di svolgere le loro attività in condizioni di parità con i loro competitor extraeuropei.
Cari colleghi, nessun cambiamento è impossibile. Sta a noi, a ciascuno di noi, fare la propria parte e per farlo serve avere a disposizione tutte le informazioni di un prodotto e assumere così le scelte più giuste. Con queste scelte possiamo migliorare il contesto in cui viviamo, senza limitarci a pensare a ciò che vediamo sotto i nostri occhi, ma tendendo lo sguardo verso il futuro, oltre i nostri confini, dove persone sono costrette a lavorare in condizioni inaccettabili, sacrificando diritti e libertà, per permetterci di continuare questo insostenibile e ingiusto stile di vita.
Maria Spyraki, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. – Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the proposal for a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is, to my opinion, the cornerstone of our single market approach to new environmentally sustainable and circular products.
As the rapporteur of the opinion on behalf of the ITRE Committee in this regulation, I would like to underline that we tried a lot to explain the added value of incorporating renewability idea as an ecodesign parameter, and we believe that, in this regard, we are paving the way into a more circular approach.
Why is this so important? Because, first of all, beyond products, also the business models that deliver them play a critical role. Rather than simply launching a new product which can improve material and energy efficiency, as it is in the case of linear model, moving to a circular business model requires a complete integration of circular design, as well as collection and redistribution infrastructure. Therefore, we pave the way from the linear model of industrial production to circular model.
Government initiatives to advance sustainability have concentrated on product recycling and reuse, waste management, which happens to be the last step of the linear model.
Allow me, MrPresident, to conclude with this: such a reprioritisation can be performed only on the basis of an updated, efficient and coherent legal framework that paves the new era of the European internal market. Believe me, ESPR is on the right path.
David Cormand, rapporteur pour avis de la commission du marché intérieur et de la protection des consommateurs. – Monsieur le Président, je tiens à remercier Alessandra Moretti pour son excellent rapport. Bravo! Vous avez réussi un exploit et on est fiers de pouvoir voter sur un texte ambitieux.
Le règlement sur l’écoconception des produits a pour horizon de permettre à terme que seuls des produits durables puissent circuler sur le marché européen. C’est une victoire des consommatrices et des consommateurs et c’est une victoire de la planète sur la société de consumation.
Dans ce règlement, nous avons permis trois avancées décisives. Tout d’abord, l’interdiction explicite des pratiques d’obsolescence prématurée. C’est un vieux combat et c’est sous cette mandature que nous avons réussi à l’emporter. Pour la première fois, nous reconnaissons l’existence de ces pratiques et nous chargeons la Commission de les nommer et de les exclure pour chaque catégorie de produits.
Ensuite, la mise en place du score de réparabilité. Enfin nous appelons à établir au niveau européen un affichage qui permette aux consommatrices et aux consommateurs de comparer la réparabilité des produits qu’ils achètent! Enfin nous récompensons les constructeurs qui conçoivent des produits qui durent!
Enfin, l’interdiction de la destruction des invendus de produits textiles et électroniques. Merci à la commission de l’environnement d’avoir pu porter cette révolution. Plus de détours ou de faux défauts d’information, nous appelons avec vigueur à réglementer au plus vite les secteurs qui pratiquent le gaspillage en masse. C’est un mandat que nous pouvons célébrer par nos votes. C’est avec joie que je nous appelle à adopter ce texte que nous pourrons défendre ensemble, avec détermination, avec le Conseil.
Virginijus Sinkevičius,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, my sincere thanks to this House for putting the ecodesign for sustainable products proposal on the agenda for this plenary session and for hosting this important debate this evening. Rapporteur AlessandraMoretti, ENVI Chair PascalCanfin, opinion rapporteurs DavidCormand and MariaSpyraki, as well as shadow rapporteurs and many other Members have done a tremendous job making this file forward in excellent time and laying the foundation for what I truly hope will be tomorrow’s adoption of a constructive Ϸվ mandate to enter trialogues.
The work you have carried out in little over a year leads me to believe that you see a strong potential in the new Ecodesign Regulation, and the existing ecodesign framework has already proven its effectiveness by making energy related products more efficient. Current ecodesign and energy labelling cumulatively amount to a 10% lower annual energy consumption by the products in scope, comparable to the energy consumption of Poland. And this translates into reduction of several hundred euros on energy bills of EU households each year.
By enabling us for the first time to ensure that a wide range of products are designed for circularity and sustainability, this new Ecodesign Regulation will speed up our move from the linear ‘take, make, use, dispose’ economic model to one in which we need less, retain more and contribute to fostering the circular transformation of our economy.
While the Commission still reserves its position at this stage in the process, I am pleased that in many places Ϸվ have preserved a high level of environmental ambition as well as the core single market principles of the proposal. I nevertheless want to draw attention to a number of points.
Firstly, it is vitally important to ensure that the new Ecodesign Regulation remains coherent with existing legislation. This is particularly true for the complex field of chemicals here. If any ecodesign provision overlaps with the scope of other already existing rules – for example, REACH – the only outcome will be confusion leading to ineffective implementation and reduced compliance.
Secondly, in relation to destruction of unsold consumer products. We understand the Ϸվ would like to take direct action in this area. Regardless of the final outcome, it will be essential for the measures to work in practice and prevent loopholes and circumvention. The better we think through and design these provisions now, the more effective they will be once in place.
Another aspect I want to touch on is online marketplaces. These play a crucial role in today’s supply chains, allowing economic operators to reach an ever-increasing number of customers. And the rules put forward for these entities aim to complement those under the Digital Services Act. Through compliance with eco design regulation, a level playing field for a sustainable marketplace will be created.
Finally, let me be practical and realistic. Much work needs to be done under the new Ecodesign Regulation – and done fast. If the current negative environmental trends are to be reversed and for our industry to benefit from its competitive advantages in circular products and technologies, any obligations or procedures added during negotiations must work in practice and not pose undue delays. The Commission will ensure alignment with the Treaty and the Interinstitutional Agreement on better regulation.
Honourable Members, I hope that today’s discussion will pave the way for a positive outcome at tomorrow’s vote, and I look forward to entering the next phase of negotiations so that another key milestone in the EU’s circular transition can be crossed.
Jessica Polfjärd, för PPE-gruppen. – Herr talman! Herr kommissionär. Det har redan gått tre år sedan kommissionen presenterade sin handlingsplan för cirkulär ekonomi och vi här i Europaparlamentet utarbetade vårt initiativbetänkande.
Sedan dess har vi tagit tydliga steg för att uppnå våra klimatmål, och nu visar vi också att vi levererar på omställningen till en mer cirkulär ekonomi. Det är en stor framgång och jag skulle vilja tacka föredragande Moretti och mina skuggkollegor för ett gott samarbete, och för att vi har nått en överenskommelse.
Det råder stor osäkerhet i Europa, både politiskt och ekonomiskt. Då är det särskilt viktigt att säkerställa och upprätthålla det stöd som vi har fått av väljarna för vår miljöpolitik. Det betyder att vi måste tänka noggrant på hur vi genomför den. Tydliga ramar är vägen framåt, inte detaljstyrning.
För företagen är det viktigaste ganska enkelt: alla vill ha möjligheten att konkurrera på lika villkor. Jag tror att vi har gett dem verktygen för att kunna använda det som är en av våra viktigaste tillgångar, nämligen den europeiska inre marknaden. Vår inre marknad är en av vår unions största styrkor. Tyvärr använder vi den inte fullt ut och använder hela potentialen. Ibland kan vi till och med undergräva dess funktionalitet.
Att ta bort interna hinder för handel och tillväxt har därför varit en av mina viktigaste prioriteringar. Men vi har också lagt helt nya förslag på bordet, inte minst vad gäller hårdare tag för att uppmuntra mer hållbara värdekedjor både inom textil och på elektroniksidan. Med dessa regler tror jag att europeisk industri på lika villkor får möjligheten att ställa om. Med detta förslag är vi på rätt väg att skapa en EU—marknad för hållbara produkter. Det är rätt väg att gå.
Erik Bergkvist, för S&D-gruppen. – Herr talman! Bästa ledamöter. Ekodesign kommer att ge oss bra möjligheter att skapa hållbara produkter och energieffektiva produkter för vår inre marknad. Det kommer att skapa förutsättningar för företag och industrier att skapa hållbara processer och kunna jobba cirkulärt på ett sätt som man inte har jobbat tidigare. Det kommer att ge oss förutsättningar att ta bort dåliga produkter. Att skapa hållbara, lagningsbara, långsiktiga produkter där vi ser till hela livscykeln.
För oss socialdemokrater har det också varit väldigt viktigt att man faktiskt ser till helheten. För att göra det måste man se alla länkar i kedjan, och även ta med de sociala aspekterna för dem som faktiskt producerar våra hållbara produkter. Då när man gör det, när man ser alla dessa delar, då har vi skapat hållbarhet på riktigt.
Róża Thun und Hohenstein, w imieniu grupy Renew. – Panie Przewodniczący! Zgadzam się z wszystkimi, którzy tutaj mówili, że ten ekoprojekt to jest legislacja niezwykle ambitna i kluczowa dla ochrony klimatu. I dzięki niej możemy pomóc trwale zmienić nastawienie konsumentów i producentów do zasobów Ziemi. Zasoby Ziemi są ograniczone. Musimy podchodzić do nich z myślą o następnych pokoleniach, o tych pokoleniach, które przyjdą po nas.
Mówiliśmy dzisiaj – 12 godzin temu – dużo na ten temat z panem komisarzem przy okazji dyskusji o nature restoration law. To to w ogóle jest taki dzień, kiedy bardzo dużo mówimy o ochronie środowiska. Ja z tym nastawieniem podchodziłam również do tego fragmentu legislacji. Pracowałam nad tym ekoprojektem jako kontrsprawozdawczyni w Komisji Rynku Wewnętrznego i Ochrony Konsumentów. I cieszę się, że tę dobrą propozycję Komisji udało się nam w kilku aspektach jeszcze poprawić, uczynić ją jeszcze trochę lepszą.
I wymienię tylko dwa punkty. Po pierwsze – na co wielu czekało – wskazujemy wyraźnie, że wymogi w zakresie ekoprojektu powinny dotyczyć wprowadzenia wspólnej ładowarki do podobnych produktów, np. narzędzi ogrodniczych, wiertarek elektrycznych lub produktów, które muszą być zabezpieczone przed wilgocią czy przed wodą, jak szczoteczki do zębów, golarki itp. A lubimy konkrety.
Po drugie koniec z papierowymi księgami, instrukcjami, które zawsze były dołączone w dziesięciu językach do wszelakich produktów. Instrukcje będą łatwo dostępne w formacie cyfrowym i drukowane tylko na życzenie konsumenta. W ten sposób uratujemy miliony drzew i liczę, że my jutro zagłosujemy za tymi zmianami, a Komisja i Rada poprą te propozycje.
Sara Matthieu, namens de Verts/ALE-Fractie. – Voorzitter, onze producten gaan veel te snel kapot en dat kost ons veel geld. En dat is ook slecht voor het milieu. Smartphones die na anderhalf jaar stuk zijn of een koffiemachine die net na de garantie het meteen begeeft. En als onze spullen kapotgaan, zijn ze ook nog eens moeilijk te herstellen. De onderdelen zitten vastgelijmd, er zijn geen wisselstukken beschikbaar of ze zijn te duur. Er zijn geen herstellers in de buurt, dus wat doen we dan? We kopen een nieuw toestel en het oude gaat naar het stort of wordt vernietigd in een verbrandingsoven.
Maar met deze nieuwe verordening ecologisch ontwerp ruilen we onze wegwerpeconomie om voor een echte circulaire economie. Dat wil zeggen dat onze kledij, onze meubels, onze elektrische apparaten langer meegaan, dat ze beter herstelbaar zijn, dat ze herbruikbaar zijn en recycleerbaar. En dat wil zeggen dat onze jeans een minimumaantal wasbeurten zal meegaan, makkelijker te recycleren zal zijn en uit meer gerecycleerde grondstoffen gaat bestaan, dat onze wasmachine of onze smartphone goedkoop te repareren zal zijn en gegarandeerd langer zal meegaan, dat we verplichte info krijgen over de levensduur van onze producten en hoe makkelijk we een toestel kunnen repareren, en dat we eindelijk zullen gaan verbieden dat de bedrijven vandaag de onverkochte goederen en de teruggestuurde pakjes die we bestellen via webshops zomaar kunnen gaan vernietigen.
Aan dit soort schandalige praktijken, collega’s, gaan we eindelijk een einde maken. En dat is goed voor onze portefeuille, dat is goed voor het klimaat en dat is goed voor het milieu.
Silvia Sardone, a nome del gruppo ID. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'obiettivo del regolamento sulla progettazione ecocompatibile sarebbe quello di ridurre l'impatto ambientale dei prodotti durante il loro ciclo di vita ma, ancora una volta, finisce alla fine per imporre ulteriori oneri alle imprese e pone le basi per future nuove iniziative green, con pericoli importanti per le aziende.
Apprezziamo i riferimenti alle micro, piccole e medie imprese, ma abbiamo ancora molti dubbi su questa proposta. Uno, tra tutti, la mancata inclusione del riciclo tra le esenzioni nella definizione di distruzione, al pari praticamente di riuso e rifabbricazione.
Insomma, secondo la proposta il riciclo sarebbe una modalità di distruzione del prodotto. Questa è un'assurdità che colpirebbe le aziende italiane di diversi settori che da anni investono nel riciclo – considerate che l'Italia è prima al mondo nel riciclo – e lo riteniamo un paradosso.
In pratica per attaccare le aziende della moda low cost si colpiscono anche i brand di lusso: è un paradosso che aziende come Armani, se hanno un abito invenduto, non possano distruggerlo ma non possano neanche riciclarlo. Dovrebbe smontare il mercato del lusso, che solo in Italia vale 17 miliardi di euro e il 78% della moda di lusso è made in Italy.
Abbiamo presentato un emendamento che introduce il requisito di informazioni sull'origine del prodotto, così che il made in Italy possa essere riconosciuto e quindi valorizzato come eccellenza, ma anche in questo caso la sinistra, ovviamente, sarà assolutamente contraria.
Noi abbiamo letto 130 pagine di regole e vincoli per le aziende. In più, tra l'altro, in questo regolamento si decide di conferire il potere alla Commissione di introdurre ulteriori requisiti e obblighi attraverso atti delegati o atti legislativi specifici.
Noi rimaniamo contrari. Voi continuate a portare avanti regolamenti e proposte green che non salveranno il mondo, ma piuttosto renderanno meno competitiva l'Europa rispetto agli altri concorrenti. Non ne vale la pena.
Marina Mesure, au nom du groupe The Left. – Monsieur le Président, c’est officiel, la terre ne suffit plus à nous faire vivre. Dans deux semaines, ce sera le jour du dépassement. Cette date à partir de laquelle, chaque année, nous avons consommé toutes les ressources que la Terre peut renouveler en un an. Une date qui, chaque année, avance inexorablement et nous rappelle que nos ressources ne sont pas inépuisables.
Dans ce contexte, cette directive sur l’écoconception, qui permet de rendre nos produits plus durables, réparables, recyclables dès leur conception, est primordiale. Elle interdit notamment l’obsolescence programmée, un fléau grotesque et absurde qui vise à abandonner le progrès pour faire plus de profit et consommer davantage. Elle doit de la même manière interdire la destruction des invendus, aussi bien des textiles que des appareils électroniques. Tout cela pour bâtir un cadre réglementaire dans lequel aucun produit n’atteint la décharge avant d’avoir pu accomplir son plus haut niveau d’utilité.
Il y a urgence, car le retard que nous avons pris sur la révision de ce règlement a causé plus de 10millions de tonnes d’émissions de CO2 supplémentaires chaque année. Donc, n’attendons plus, votons ce texte et finissons-en avec le mythe de la croissance infinie dans un monde fini. Nos modes de consommation et de production doivent répondre aux exigences environnementales pour préserver la survie de l’humanité.
Peter Liese (PPE). – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Die Ökodesign-Richtlinie ist eine Erfolgsgeschichte. Wir haben in den letzten Jahren jährlich so viel Energie eingespart, wie Italien und Schweden gemeinsam verbrauchen. Wir haben damit das Klima geschützt, und wir haben damit dafür gesorgt, dass viele Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher echtes Geld sparen. Jetzt geht es einen großen Schritt weiter. Jetzt geht es nicht mehr nur um den Energieverbrauch, sondern auch um die Kreislaufwirtschaft, Ressourcenschonung, und ich unterstütze diesen Schritt. Ich bedanke mich bei allen, vor allen Dingen für die EVP bei Jessica Polfjärd, dass Sie diesen Schritt jetzt ermöglichen.
Aber wir müssen wirklich aufpassen, dass wir uns dabei nicht verhaspeln. Es gibt einzelne Punkte, wo der Ausschuss noch über den Kommissionsvorschlag hinausgeht, z.B. bei den besorgniserregenden Stoffen, und ich glaube, da müssen wir vorsichtig sein. Deswegen unterstütze ich persönlich die Änderungsanträge59 bis 61 und den Änderungsantrag249, um hier Maß und Mitte zu halten.
Es ist ja so, dass Ökodesign einen großen Charme hat, auch für die Wirtschaft, weil da Regeln aufgestellt werden, nicht nur für europäische Produzenten, sondern auch für Importeure. Aber das müssen wir eben auch kontrollieren können. Dabei müssen wir uns fokussieren. Mein Appell an die Kommission, aber noch mehr an die Mitgliedstaaten: Passen wir auf, dass die Kontrolle funktioniert, sonst wäre nämlich der Ehrliche der Dumme, und das darf nicht sein.
Beatrice Covassi (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, vale la pena essere qui stasera perché la proposta di legge sulla progettazione ecocompatibile è un importante passo in avanti verso un'economia circolare che renda sempre più sostenibili i prodotti messi in commercio in Europa.
Vogliamo prodotti più durevoli, riparabili, rinnovabili e riciclabili. Per questo fissiamo i requisiti per la loro progettazione, usando l'innovazione tecnologica per un design che favorisca riparazioni e recupero delle materie prime.
L'ecodesign porta vantaggi per i nostri cittadini, per l'ambiente, per l'economia, perché progettare in modo sostenibile significa prevenire la produzione di rifiuti, ridurre l'impoverimento del pianeta causato dalla crescente estrazione di materie prime, creare un vantaggio competitivo per le nostre imprese riducendo i costi per materie prime ed energia.
Inoltre, garantendo la trasparenza sulle informazioni del prodotto, avremo come consumatori la possibilità di conoscere l'impatto ambientale dei nostri acquisti e le imprese potranno promuovere la sostenibilità nelle loro produzioni come vantaggio competitivo. Penso a settori come quello del tessile e della moda, che già ci stupiscono nelle punte più avanzate per creatività e risultati, mostrando tutto il potenziale dell'ecodesign.
E allora, cari colleghi, chiudiamo tutti insieme il cerchio virtuoso dell'economia circolare!
Ivars Ijabs (Renew). – Priekšsēdētāja kungs! Godātais komisāra kungs! Dārgie kolēģi! Viens no svarīgākajiem šīs regulas uzdevumiem ir novērst dažādus ražotāju trikus, kas ir vērsti uz aizvien jaunu un jaunu produktu pirkšanu. Šie te triki apzināti padara produktus priekšlaicīgi novecojošus vai nefunkcionālus, neremontējamus vai arī remontējamus tikai ļoti ierobežotā skaitā pilnvarotu remontdarbnīcu.
Tāpēc līdzās ilgizturības prasībām visiem produktiem katrai precei ir jābūt arī remontējamības rādītājiem, lai cilvēki varētu izdarīt apzinātu izvēli, kad viņi tos iegādājas. Ir jānovērš arī pieaugošā nerealizētu produktu, piemēram, tekstilizstrādājumu, apavu, elektronikas, iznīcināšana, kas pieaug tieši ar tiešsaites tirdzniecību. Ražotāji vienkārši iznīcina atpakaļ nosūtītos pirkumus, un tādā veidā notiek pilnīgi bezjēdzīga resursu izšķērdēšana.
Šādai te praksei ir vienkārši jāpieliek punkts, un tas ir mūsu uzdevums. Un, protams, visās šajās prasībās ir jāņem vērā arī mazo, vidējo uzņēmumu intereses – viņu spējas tās īstenot, kas bieži vien krietni vien atšķiras no globālo kompāniju iespējām.
Malte Gallée (Verts/ALE). – Herr Präsident, lieber Marc, lieber Herr Kommissar, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! In nicht mal mehr einem Jahr ist schon wieder Europawahl, und wir alle werden die ganzen Wochen davor in den Straßen stehen, uns mit Leuten unterhalten, und immer wieder wird die Frage kommen: Ja, was macht die EU eigentlich? Ich werde mich dann ganz entspannt hinstellen und werde fragen: Ja, haben Sie denn vor, in den nächsten Jahren etwas zu kaufen? Ich nehme an, die Antwort wird ja sein, und dann können wir alle ganz entspannt sagen: Ja, und genau diese Produkte, die Sie dann kaufen werden, die werden dank der neuen Ökodesign-Verordnung länger halten, nicht so schnell zu Müll werden, man wird sie recyceln können, man wird sie wieder reparieren können.
Wir geben die Macht zurück in die Hände der Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher. Und das ist einfach ein riesengroßer Erfolg unserer Europäischen Union. Vielen lieben Dank an Sie, lieber Herr Kommissar, dass Sie das vorgeschlagen haben.
Eine kleine Bitte habe ich aber tatsächlich: Kollege Liese hat es angemerkt, wir müssen natürlich auch dafür sorgen, dass die ganzen Produkte, die importiert werden, auch die Regeln befolgen. Und da müssen wir natürlich die Onlineplattformen in die Pflicht nehmen, denn wenn Alibaba und Amazon usw. nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden, dann ist das ein riesengroßes Schlupfloch. Und das wollen Sie selber auch nicht.
Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, the main objective of the ecodesign framework is to reduce the negative life cycle environmental impacts of products, introduce circularity and improve the functioning of the internal market. To ensure the effectiveness of the framework, it should primarily focus on the environmental aspects of sustainability pertaining to physical products.
While setting ecodesign requirements for products is vital, we must also direct our attention towards increasing the development of collection, sorting, repair and recirculation systems. By bolstering these systems, we can foster a circular economy that minimises waste and maximises resource—efficiency. The holistic approach encompassing the entire product life cycle will be instrumental in achieving our sustainability goals.
Minimising divergence in the implementation of this policy will not only strengthen our collective impact, but also prevent fragmentation within the internal market. It makes sense to address the products with the highest negative impacts first. This approach ensures that our efforts yield the maximum positive outcome for the environment.
Regarding the prohibition of the destruction of unsold consumer goods, I agree with the general principle. However, before we include bans on the destruction of specific product types, we must gather more comprehensive product data.
Anna Cavazzini (Verts/ALE). – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wie umweltschädlich ein Produkt ist, das entscheidet sich zu 80% am Design, und das ist ein riesiger Hebel, den wir einfach noch viel mehr nutzen müssen. T-Shirt, Handy oder Wasserkocher– bisher: kaufen, kurz nutzen und wegschmeißen, das ist leider die Regel. Und mit krassen Folgen: Die Erderhitzung schreitet voran, der Hunger nach Ressourcen steigt immer weiter, die Müllberge wachsen. Damit muss endlich Schluss sein! Mit der Abstimmung über die Ökodesign-Verordnung machen wir klar: Es ist höchste Zeit, dass die Nachhaltigkeit von Produkten auf dem Binnenmarkt zur Norm wird.
Ökodesign ist ein Meilenstein im Übergang zur Kreislaufwirtschaft. Müll wird zum Designfehler, und Schrottprodukte verschwinden vom Markt. Ich freue mich, dass wir mit dem Produktpass Transparenz über die Lieferkette schaffen und das Recycling erleichtern. Und ein Reparierbarkeitswert wird Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern deutlich zeigen, wie leicht oder wie schwer ein Produkt zu reparieren ist. Auch muss das Zerstören von unverkaufter Ware endlich aufhören. Es ist gut und richtig, dass das Parlament den Kommissionsvorschlag nachgeschärft hat.
Virginijus Sinkevičius,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for your contributions today. This evening’s debate is a testament to your ongoing engagement with this legislative proposal for which we need a strong collective effort. And as I have already pointed out, a significant amount of work remains to be done. So I am therefore looking forward for tomorrow’s plenary vote. It is the next key link in the chain and I encourage you to use it as an opportunity to secure a strong mandate for entering trilogues.
Let me reply to some of the key issues that you have mentioned. First of all, a few times there were mentioned SMEs. Article 19 of proposal provides for Commission and Member States’ action to specifically guide and support SMEs in the implementation of ESPR measures. Commission programmes benefiting SMEs will take into account specific initiatives targeted at SMEs, integrating sustainability aspects into their value chains, and the Commission will also publish specific guidelines for facilitating compliance to ESPR requirements by SMEs. So Member States will have to provide one—stop—shops for awareness—raising and networking to facilitate adaptation to ESPR requirements by SMEs and they could adopt additional measures from financial support to training and technical assistance.
Substances of concern – they were mentioned. The chemical composition of products determines largely their functionalities and impacts, including the possibilities for re-use or recovery when they become waste. So information on the presence of substances of concern in products is therefore a key element of the proposal. So legal clarity and coherence with existing legislation, including on chemicals, have been a priority for the Commission. The proposal was carefully prepared to avoid overlaps with existing chemicals. Legislation and definition is aligned with the chemicals strategy for sustainability, according to which substances of concern are substances having a chronic effect on human health or the environment, but also those which hamper recycling for safe and high—quality secondary raw materials. So any changes to the definition will run counter to the strategies’ objectives.
As regards a direct ban on the destruction of textiles, footwear and electronics, I understand that Ϸվ very much supports this idea. I understand that the idea – because destruction is clearly not in line with the circular economy principles. So a directly applicable prohibition on the destruction of textiles or any other product groups was not part of the Commission proposal because we did not have a detailed overview of the actual number of unsold consumer products being destroyed. So whether this prohibition is introduced directly based on the currently available evidence, or at a later stage after the further impact assessment and based on the information that business operators will be obliged to disclose under this proposal, the Commission is ready to prioritise work on this, also in line with the commitment under the textiles strategy to prohibit the destruction of unsold textile products.
As regards the market—surveillance authorities in the ESPR, so especially talking about the online marketplaces, in addition to the generic obligation of cooperation under the Market Surveillance Regulation, ESPR contains more specific obligations like to establish a regular and structured exchange of information to allow online tools of market surveillance authorities to access their interfaces and allow for scrapping data. Having only generic obligation to cooperate without any further specifications would reduce clarity on the concrete activities that providers of online marketplaces have to carry out for products that are subject to ESPR requirements. And this aligns with the logic that was followed by the General Product Safety Regulation and accepted by the legislators.
Finally, as regards the competitiveness, and of course the products that are going to be imported in the EU, the rules proposed under ESPR will apply to all products placed on the EU market, whether products manufactured inside the EU or outside the EU, ESPR will contribute to the EU’s long—term competitiveness and strategic autonomy. The decoupling of economic development from natural resource use and reduction of material dependencies will foster the EU’s resilience.
Honourable Members, what we have on the table is a future—oriented framework, a real game changer. The new Ecodesign Regulation will be a key instrument for achieving our environmental, climate and energy goals and for ensuring the functioning of the single market for sustainable products. So we cannot afford to lose time. Work on the ESPR framework needs to begin as soon as possible so that concrete progress on making sustainable products the norm in the EU can begin.
So I am confident that thanks to the ambition and commitment of the rapporteur MsMoretti and all of those closely involved, excellent progress on making sustainable products the norm can be soon made.
Alessandra Moretti, relatrice. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, voglio davvero ringraziare tutti i colleghi per il supporto, per il contributo e per le proposte che hanno migliorato il testo iniziale.
Questo è stato un lavoro di squadra, è un lavoro che ci ha visti, seppur nelle differenze legittime, uniti nel proposito di offrire al mercato e ai consumatori un regolamento ambizioso che mette al centro l'ambiente, la tutela degli ecosistemi, la salute dei consumatori.
È un passo importante che dimostra che, se c'è la volontà, la politica può essere all'altezza delle sfide e della responsabilità che i cittadini ci hanno affidato.
Io sono molto fiduciosa che domani lo dimostreremo appieno.