Commission to approve bans on plastic bags By Dave Keating - Today, 19:44 CET
The European Commission is to give its backing to national bans on plastic carrier bags, according to a leaked draft document. A long-awaited proposal to allow European Union member states to ban plastic carrier bags without contravening EU single-market rules is to be adopted on 15 November, according to a draft seen by European Voice. The Commission had previously suggested such bans would be illegal.According to the draft, the proposal will require member states to take action to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags with a thickness below 50 microns. But member states will be able to choose from a list of options how to achieve this. The options include economic measures such as taxes and levies, and marketing restrictions such as bans.
“Such reduction measures should take account of current consumption levels of plastic carrier bags in individual member states, with higher levels requiring more ambitious efforts,” the draft says.
Some member states have been waiting for the Commission to clarify whether national bans on plastic bags violate single-market rules. In 2011, Austria challenged a ban on plastic bags by Italy, because the bags are classified as packaging under the packaging waste directive, and packaging that complies with the directive's requirements cannot be banned. The Commission launched a consultation on the issue in 2011, but has not yet answered Austria's question.
Austria wants to know whether plastic bag bans are legal before pressing forward with its own proposals. In 2010, France abandoned a similar plan for a ban after a Commission analysis suggested it would be illegal. A proposal clarifying these rules has been ready for some time but has been held up by the Commission's secretariat-general until now, according to EU sources.
The draft explicitly states that such bans are possible as a derogation of Article 18 of the packaging directive.
Last month the UK announced it will introduce a plastic bag tax of £0.05 (€0.06) in England from Autumn 2015. But shops with fewer than 250 employees will be exempt.
National policies on plastic bags vary widely. Denmark, Ireland and Bulgaria charge a tax on plastic bags, while in Belgium a fee is charged that goes to the plastic collection and recycling firm Fost Plus. Retailers in France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary and the Netherlands have begun charging for plastic bags voluntarily.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
