Recycling and waste

Development of an EU thematic strategy on waste

 

Revision of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD): UK Consultation

Defra held meetings with stakeholders on the Waste Thematic Strategy before the Environment Council met on 9 March 2006.  Defra also held a series of stakeholder meetings, to inform the development of the UK’s initial views on the revised WFD in March /April 2006 in London and, in association with the Devolved Administrations, in Edinburgh and Belfast.  Regular meetings have subsequently been held in London to ensure that stakeholders continue to be informed of developments and engaged in the negotiation process.

Defra published a UK-wide consultation paper in autumn 2006 on the revised WFD entitled “Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on Waste”. Its purpose was to invite views on the revision of the WFD to ensure that the UK’s involvement in the negotiations on the legislation is well informed and has an evidence base which is as sound as possible. An analysis and discussion of the consultation responses is available below:

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EU negotiations on the revision of the WFD

The purpose of the consultation was to ensure that the UK’s involvement in the negotiations on the revised WFD were well informed. Response to the consultation have been taken into account in developing the UK’s position during the course of negotiations.

The German Presidency’s published programme stated that, “The Presidency will intensify the consultations on…waste management and intends to finalize the proposal for a Waste Framework Directive.”  The Presidency scheduled an intensive series of Council Working Group meetings from January to May 2007 to fulfil this objective. At the Environment Council on 28 June 2007, the Council reached political agreement on the proposed revision to the Waste Framework Directive. 

The Department’s understanding is that the Portuguese Presidency will now take steps necessary to produce the Common Position which is likely to be communicated to the European Parliament in the latter part of 2007.

The politically agreed text was incorporated without significant amendment into the Common Position which was adopted when the Environment Council met on 20 December 2007.

The Council’s Common Position was formally communicated to the European Parliament (EP) on 21 February 2008.  The Rapporteur, Caroline Jackson MEP, submitted her draft report on the Common Position to the EP’s Environment Committee on 25 February.  The Environment Committee voted on 248 amendments to the Council’s Common Position tabled by the Rapporteur and MEPs on 8 April and adopted 81amendments.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs