A report on the application of the European directive intended to fight against plastic products shows contrasting results at present.
This directive, which has been in effect for two years now, aims to ban the sale of single-use plastic products, in order to reduce the pollution created by these materials. But a report carried by the MEP Pascal Canfin to which was able to have access France Info shows that there is still work to be done.
A dozen products on the hot seat
Plastic pollution is a growing concern, and is behind various initiatives, the most important of which comes directly from Brussels. On July 3, 2021, the European Union brought into force a directive on single-use plastics which prohibits the sale of more than a dozen of these products.
Cutlery, cotton swabs, straws and certain containers can therefore no longer be marketed within the territory of the European Union. However, two years later, we would still be far from the expected result, according to the ecologist MEP Pascal Canfin.
Spain, good, Italy, not good
The latter has just produced a report in which he explores the application of the directive in four countries of the Union: Greece, Spain, France and Italy. And if he notes that Greece ” has complied with all the provisions of the directive and that commendable initiatives have been implemented in some territories in Spain, such as the Balearic Islands, it is more critical for France and Italy.
He thus notes that in France, the checks were slow, since they only started on 1er July. He is now calling for sanctions to be taken to speed up awareness. Worse, our transalpine neighbor would simply have missed the problem. ” Italy has transposed the European text very badly. There is no control that is carried out and ultimately no penalties. We are therefore at degree zero in the fight against single-use plastics. “, he says.
Source : France Info
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