The European Parliament gave its green light to the text of the packaging regulation with a large majority, recording 476 votes in favour, 129 against and 24 abstentions. This consensus, particularly significant considering the environmental importance of the law, sets clear targets for reducing packaging in the EU.
The next step will be formal approval by the Council, followed by a further phase of revision of the text, known as the "corrigendum". This review will focus on the correct legal and linguistic interpretation of the translated versions, without substantial changes to the content. The new Parliament that will be elected in June will limit itself to approving the final version, as will the Council.
Once published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the regulation will come into force after 20 days, without requiring further ratification by member states, unlike directives. Some provisions may not apply immediately, while others will require further detail through delegated acts.
The main purpose of the regulation is to mitigate the environmental impact resulting from packaging, promoting the adoption of more eco-sustainable practices and ensuring higher standards in global waste management.
The regulation aims to achieve a significant reduction in waste, with a specific objective of reducing plastic packaging by 15% by 2040. This objective aims to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used overall starting 18 months after entry into force of the regulation and will be divided into intermediate stages: a reduction of 5% by 2030 and 10% by 2035.
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