Packaging, air quality and obligations for businesses:the final rush of the Green Deal on the eve of the European elections

Trio of measures approved in the last session of the European Parliament before the electoral appointment

From Strasbourg – In the last window available before the elections, the puzzle of Green Deal is enriched with three new tiles.Today the European Parliament, having reached its last plenary session before the June elections, approved three key measures of the European green agenda:the Packaging Regulation, the Air Quality Directive and the Business Due Diligence Directive.A significant leap forward for that package of actions to protect the environment and the climate that most marked the last five years of Ursula von der Leyen's Commission, to the point of becoming one of the most discussed topics of the electoral campaign.

The Packaging Regulation

The first measure voted by MEPs is packaging regulation, one of the dossiers over which Italy has fought the most.The objective of the measure is to reduce packaging waste gradually:-5% by 2030, -10% by 2035 and -15% by 2040.Furthermore, from 1 January 2030, some disposable plastic packaging will be banned throughout the European Union, such as that for fresh fruit and vegetables, packaging for food consumed in bars and restaurants, some single-portions of sauces and condiments or products in miniature for hotel toilets.From 2030, ultra-light plastic bags (those under 15 microns) will also be banned, which can only be used for hygienic reasons or as primary packaging for loose foods.Bar and restaurant managers will have to offer customers the opportunity to bring their own containers to fill with drinks or ready-to-eat foods, at no additional cost.

The packaging regulation was one of the most contested pieces of Green Deal legislation in Italy.Last December, when the EU Council expressed its position on the regulation, the Italian government was the only one to vote against.Among the criticized points of the provision was the request to EU countries to introduce the so-called «security deposit systems» for disposable bottles.These are mechanisms already in force in many European countries, in which the consumer is asked to pay a small deposit, which is returned to him in full when he returns the empty bottle to a special collection centre.In the final version of the regulation, more flexibility is given to States.In fact, the text provides for the common objective for everyone to achieve at least 90% separate collection of single-use plastic bottles by 2029.For those who cannot do so, the obligation to introduce a security deposit system is triggered.In the end, today's vote in Strasbourg saw the majority of MEPs supporting the measure.Forza Italia, Pd, Italia Viva, Azione, Verdi and M5s gave the green light.The League is against it.

Air quality:the exemption for the Po Valley was confirmed

Also receiving the final approval of the European Parliament is the air quality directive, which has the long-term goal of eliminating air pollution by 2050.The text voted today in Strasbourg sets more stringent limits on the concentration of toxic substances permitted by law and encourages Member States to implement the measures necessary to improve air quality.The annual limit values ​​permitted for PM_2,5 and NO2, two of the most widespread pollutants, went from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ and from 40 µg/m³ to 20 µg/m³ respectively.All these new goals must be achieved by 2030.There are, however, exceptions.The deadline for reaching these limit values ​​is in fact postponed to 2040 for all those areas "in which compliance with the directive within the deadline would be impossible due to specific climatic or orographic conditions".This is a change loudly requested by the Italian government for the Po Valley, where today we breathe the most polluted air in all of Europe.

Due diligence:the appeal to the business world

The third pillar of the Green Deal approved today in Strasbourg is the directive on companies' due diligence.An apparently technical and difficult issue to decipher, but considered essential to achieve the climate targets set by the European Union.The new directive requires companies to prevent, end or mitigate their negative effects on people and the environment, including child labour, slavery, pollution and loss of biodiversity.A provision that only concerns large companies with over a thousand employees and a turnover of over 450 million euros.The directive also asks all these companies to implement a transition plan that makes their business model compatible with the global warming objectives set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.It will not be the European Commission that will monitor the effective compliance with all these constraints but the Member States, who will be able to impose sanctions of up to 5% of net turnover at global level.