Packaging, agreement reached on new EU regulation.Italy still hopes for a change but it is a mirage

Minister Pichetto announces that "negotiations are still ongoing", but the road for the Italian government is all uphill.Here is what the new regulation provides

An agreement has been found in Europe on the dispute proposed regulation on packaging and packaging waste (Ppwr).Yesterday, 4 March, the EU Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the measure, which aims to reduce packaging waste and make it more sustainable.The final version of the regulation leaves the Italian government only half satisfied.«As Italy, we have managed to attenuate the obligation to resort to reuse when there are no real environmental reasons», commented the Minister of the Environment, Gilberto Pichetto.At the same time, the owner of the Mase maintains that "the negotiation is still ongoing" and, while awaiting the definitive text, "the Italian government continues to forcefully advance" its position.The agreement reached yesterday in Brussels between Parliament and Council represents in fact only a political step.But "it's quite rare", explains a Open an EU official, "that a provisional agreement will be disavowed in the subsequent steps".

What does the regulation provide?

The regulation discussed yesterday by the European institutions asks Member States to reduce packaging waste by 5% by 2030, by 10% by 2035 and by 15% by 2040.Furthermore, from 1 January 2030, certain packaging formats made of single-use plastic will be banned throughout the European Union.Any examples?Those for fresh fruit and vegetables, packaging for food and drinks consumed in bars and restaurants, some single portions of sauces and condiments or miniature products for hotel toilets.However, there are some exceptions, requested by Italy and included in the final text:these bans, in fact, do not apply to packaging made of compostable plastic and composite packaging.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.

The new regulation also requires that, by 2029, Member States ensure the separate collection of at least 90% of single-use plastic bottles and metal drink containers.For this packaging, countries will have to set up so-called systems security deposit (Deposit Return System).When the consumer buys a drink, he will have to pay (in addition to the selling price of the product) a small deposit, which will be fully refunded when he returns the empty bottle to a special collection center.This mechanism is already a reality in some European countries, while others - such as Italy and Spain - will have to work hard to make up for the delay.To avoid having to introduce a deposit system, Member States will have to demonstrate that they have achieved a separate collection rate of more than 80% by 2026.

Among the main innovations of the provision there is also the obligation for bars and restaurants to offer customers the possibility of bringing their own containers to fill with drinks or ready-made foods, at no additional cost.The same applies to the consumption of tap water, which must be encouraged by Member States in all bars, restaurants and canteens.

Italy's battle to change the regulation at the last minute

The version of the provision released by the European Parliament had accepted some requested exemptions, almost unanimously, by Italian MEPs.One above all:the possibility of avoiding reuse targets for all operators able to demonstrate that "at least 85% by weight of the packaging waste they place on the market intended for immediate consumption is collected separately for recycling at the point of sale".In the text on which Parliament and the EU Council reached an agreement yesterday, very little remains of this exemption.And it is also for this reason that last December Italy was the only one of the 27 EU countries to vote against the adoption of the Council's negotiating mandate.The statements released yesterday by Pichetto seem to suggest that the government has every intention of trying to introduce some changes at the last minute.An undertaking that promises to be anything but obvious, especially now that the European institutions have reached an agreement on the final text of the provision.In the coming weeks, the regulation will have to be submitted to Coreper and the Environment Committee of the European Parliament.After that, barring last-minute incursions by the Italian government, it will have to be formally adopted by both institutions.