Packaging and packaging waste

The Council's common position contained new elements, some of which took account directly or indirectly of European Parliament amendments that were not incorporated by the Commission in its amended proposal. Moreover, 28 EP amendments already accepted by the Commission had been retained in the common position. The text provided for the adoption by the Member States of measures whose priority was to prevent packaging waste and whose other fundamental principles included reusing packaging, recycling and recovering packaging waste, and, hence, reducing the final disposal of such waste. - In terms of prevention, the Member States should implement measures that could involve national programmes or similar actions adopted in consultation with all the economic operators; - With regard to reuse, the Member States could promote the reuse of packaging which could be used in an environmentally sound manner; - In respect of recovery and recycling, the Member States should take the necessary measures to attain, during a first phase of five years from the entry into force of the directive, the following targets: . recovery: between 50% as a minimum and 65% as a maximum by weight of the packaging; . recycling: between 25% as a minimum and 45% as a maximum by weight of the totality of packaging materials contained in packaging waste, with a minimum of 15% for each material. Within 10 years, on the basis of a Commission proposal, the Council should provide for a substantial increase in these percentages. Transitional derogations would be granted to Greece, Ireland and Portugal due to their geographic situation and current low level of packaging consumption. Member States that implemented programmes whose recovery and recycling targets exceeded those laid down in the directive would be permitted to pursue those targets on condition that the measures avoided distortions of competition. To this end, provision was made for the Commission to verify the conformity of the measures with the internal market, in collaboration with the Member States. Furthermore, other provisions were included with regard to return, collection and recovery systems in order to meet the objectives laid down. Also, in relation to the composition of packaging, the text stipulated that three years after the adoption of the directive, the Member States should ensure that packaging was placed on the market only if it complied with the essential requirements defined by the directive. Member States should comply with the directive no later than 18 months following its adoption. �