New Developments of the EU Circular Economy Policy and Their Impact on EU Waste Law

The concepts of ‘green economy’ and ‘sustainable consumption and production’ determine the direction of political and legal changes as the goals of the 2030 Agenda followed also by the European Union and its Member States. ‘Circular economy’ as an element of those concepts includes waste management and is a vital element of EU environmental policy. Turning waste into resources presents a multidimensional challenge. In the years 2015–2018, the European Commission conducted works on the changes in the community law on waste which will enable the enforcement of ‘circular economy’ goals. In May 2018, four directives which will significantly remodel the obligations of Member States in the scope of waste management were enacted. Also in 2018, the Commission announced new proposals, as well as law changes, emphasizing the problem of plastic waste.

NOWE ROZWIĄZANIA W POLITYCE UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ DOTYCZĄCEJ GOSPODARKI O OBIEGU ZAMKNIĘTYM I ICH WPŁYW NA UNIJNE PRAWO O ODPADACH

Koncepcje „zielonej gospodarki” oraz „zrównoważonej konsumpcji i produkcji” wyznaczają kierunek zmian politycznych i prawnych jako Cele Agendy 2030, realizowanej również przez Unię Europejską i jej państwa członkowskie. „Gospodarka o obiegu zamkniętym” – jako element tych koncepcji – obejmuje również gospodarkę odpadami i stanowi istotny element polityki ochrony środowiska UE. Przekształcenie odpadów w zasoby stanowi wielopłaszczyznowe wyzwanie. W okresie 2015–2018 Komisja Europejska przeprowadziła prace nad zmianami w unijnym prawie o odpadach, które umożliwiają wdrożenie celów „gospodarki o obiegu zamkniętym” w życie. W maju 2018 roku uchwalone zostały cztery dyrektywy znacząco przemodelowujące zobowiązania państw członkowskich w zakresie gospodarki odpadami. Również w 2018 roku Komisja ogłosiła nowe propozycje, w tym zmiany prawa, eksponując zwłaszcza problem odpadów plastikowych.

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