EU: European Parliament Committees Vote on Proposed Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste
Last week, three European Parliament Committees voted on their positions for the proposed Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste.
The Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee rejected amendments proposed by rapporteur Virginie Joron and supported compromises drawn up by several groups. The Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee voted in favor of a report seeking to remove the obligation for reusable packaging in the hospitality industry, and the Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) committee called for more flexibility for the hotel, restaurants and caterings (HORECA) sector, including exemptions to reuse and waste-prevention measures.
According to FRUCOM, the Environment Committee (ENVI) will vote in September and will work towards finding a compromise proposal for a Plenary vote scheduled for October 2, 2023. Meetings will be resuming in the week of August 28, 2023.
EU: Supervision of Imported Organic Products
On July 20, 2023, the European Commission notified the World Trade Organization of a draft regulation amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1342, which supplements Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on the information to be sent by third countries and by control authorities and control bodies for the purpose of supervision of imported organic products. Specifications include a template for reporting about the investigation and actions taken, and the obligation to carry out certain checks before certifying new operators or groups of operators.
The adoption is scheduled for November 2023.