New EU rules to reduce marine litter are voted on by the Environment and Public Health Committee (ENVI) in the European Parliament in Brussels. They target the main sources of macro-plastics found in Europe’s seas and beaches, which account for 70% of marine litter, and would ban products such as single-use cutlery, plates, plastic cotton buds and straws by 2021. Statements by Frédérique RIES (ALDE, BE) rapporteur

Brussels

meeting

vote

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

plastic waste (T)

circular economy (T)

RIES, Frédérique (Renew, BE)

reduction of the environmental impact of plastics (T)

Reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment: extracts from the vote on the report by Frédérique RIES (ALDE, BE) and illustrative shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Fr&#233;d&#233;rique RIES (ALDE, BE), I am a happy and relieved MEP and Rapporteur on the single-use plastics directive. It has been a fast one, it has been a difficult one, because we had to make a lot of compromises not to lose the essentials.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fr&#233;d&#233;rique RIES (ALDE, BE), We raised the ambition of the Commission, I should have told you. So, we did not touch anything that was proposed by the Commission. Those single-use plastic products that are going to be banned and proposed by the Commission, are on board. You know what it is: cotton buds, it is plates, it is cutlery. There is a small phasing-out delay for the plates and cutlery because of the Italians. But it is going to be banned in 2 years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fr&#233;d&#233;rique RIES (ALDE, BE), We now also have the light weight plastic bags, the oxodegradable plastic bags, and also what we call, the food containers that are made from expanded polystyrene, which are very polluting. It&rsquo;s 31 per cent of the objects that we found on our beaches. This is on board. As you say the polluter paying responsibility (EPR), its ambition is raised and I included very specific provisions concerning the cigarette buds. I want the big tobacco&rsquo;s to pay for their pollution that these cigarettes buds provoke in our beaches, in our cities, in our oceans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fr&#233;d&#233;rique RIES (ALDE, BE), So we have to reach the agreement in the scope of this Parliament,so next step is the vote in Plenary end of this month. We discuss with the Council, the ministers and the Austrian presidency at the beginning of November and we hope to reach an agreement before the end of this year. And we are having a vote in Plenary in March.

Close-ups of people taking out plastic containers, bottles and cutleries from their bags

General shot and close-up of people pouring water from a plastic bottle and drinking from plastic glasses

Cutaways of people passing on plastic plates and forkes to each other

General shot and close-ups of a family sitting outside in the garden drinking lemonade from plastic glasses with plastic straws

Close-up of plastic straws in a glass jar standing on the table