NEWSLETTER N° 209 – 10 MARCH 2025

Word of the week? Clean air…from the publication of the Fourth Clean air Outlook to the Zero pollution monitoring and the Commission’s Zero Pollution dashboard, the word on the institution’s mind last week was clearly clean air! 

Environment Council: On 27 March, the Environment Council will take place. 

Batteries – List of Waste: On 6 March the Commission published the amendment to the European List of Wastes for batteries. 

Electronic Waste Shipment systems: On 5 March, the Commission published for feedback the draft implementing act laying down the detailed requirements for the electronic submission and exchange of information and documents concerning shipments of waste. 

Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR): The Commission has published an upcoming initiative on a possible delegated act that would establish exemptions from the PPWR’s reuse obligations for plastic wrappings and straps. 

EU Taxonomy FAQ: On 5 March, a Commission notice on EU Taxonomy Environmental Delegated Act containing new FAQs was published in the Official Journal of the EU. 

Taxonomy Delegated Acts: The European Commission launched a consultation on Taxonomy Delegated Acts – amendments to make reporting simpler and more cost-effective for companies. 

Social Climate Fund – guidance on applying the ‘do no significant harm’ principle: On 5 March, the Commission adopted the Technical guidance on applying the ‘do no significant harm’ principle under the Social Climate Fund Regulation. 

Platform on Sustainable Finance (PSF): As the mandate of the current Platform on Sustainable Finance (PSF) comes to an end, FEAD, FIR, EuRIC, MWE, CEWEP and ESWET issued on 6 March, a joint statement calling for the inclusion of recycling of incineration bottom ashes in the handover note to the successor Platform. 

Lithium batteries – French Law: On 6 March, the French Senate unanimously adopted at first reading the text on fire risk in waste treatment facilities due to lithium batteries and oxide cartridges. 

PFAS – French Law: One week after its adoption by the French Assembly, the PFAS ban was published in the Official Journal on 28 February. 

International Plastics Treaty: On 3 March, the UN announced that the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution  (INC-5.2), is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Fourth Clean Air Outlook – Commission report: The Commission Fourth Clean air report, published on 3 March, shows that only four (Estonia, Finland, Greece and Italy), out of the 27 Member States, are on track to meet their air pollution reduction targets by 2030. 

Zero pollution monitoring and outlook 2025 – European Commission’s Joint Research Center and the EEA report: On 3 March, the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and the EEA published a report titled ‘Zero pollution monitoring and outlook 2025’. 

Towards Zero pollution – Commission dashboard: On 3 March, the Commission posted online an interactive map to compare pollution levels in European regions. 

Climate impact of air pollution levels – European Environment Bureau (EEB) report: On 26 February, the EEB published a report commissioned by them and conducted by Ricardo. 

European Water Resilience Strategy: On 4 March, Environment Committee MEPs tabled more than 1 000 amendments to the draft own-initiative report by MEP Thomas Bajada (S&D, Malta) on the European Water Resilience Strategy. The amendments are available here, here, here and here. 
On 4 March, FEAD provided feedback to the public consultation on the European Water Resilience Strategy.

Environmental quality standards applicable to surface water – New substances: On 3 March, an Implementing Decision was published in the EU’s Official Journal.

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive – EFPIA challenges Directive: On 3 March, EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, announced its intention to challenge the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive before the EU General Court in order to ‘seek greater clarity on how the decision to include only two sectors to bear responsibility for Europe’s urban wastewater quaternary treatment aligns with the EU’s own polluter pays principle’.

Jessika Roswall Cabinet: Former MEP Pernille Weiss-Ehler (EPP, Denmark) joined the cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall on 5 March. 

European Commissioners Cabinets: The European Commission has published the official list of members of the cabinets of the commissioners and their attributions.

EU-India Trade and Technology Council – Key outcomes: On 28 February, the European Union and India held their second ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology in New Delhi. One of the key outcomes of this Council is the launch of a joint research cooperation under the Horizon Europe program, through exceptional coordinated calls with India.

FEAD News: On 7-8 April, in collaboration with our Bulgarian member, BRRA, we are organising a series of events in Sofia, Bulgaria. This includes our first General Assembly of the year, as well as a guided tour of Sofia, a networking session and a visit of a plastic recycling and/or sorting facility near Sofia, exclusively for FEAD members. More information.