Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-12-Speech-1-082"
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"en.20070212.14.1-082"2
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".
Madam President, I very much welcome the Commission's strategy and revised framework waste directive.
We complain all the time of the lack of engagement between the European Union and its citizens. Through this legislative proposal the EU is demonstrating its leadership and assistance to Member States, addressing the snowballing problem of waste and its environmental and health impact, while further jump-starting a sector that is already providing upwards of two million jobs.
As our economies modernise in our respective countries across the Union, we are simultaneously producing 1.3 billion tonnes of waste annually, some 40 million tonnes of which is hazardous. Decoupling waste generation from economic growth is vital, otherwise, according to the OECD, we face, at our current rate, the generation of 45% more waste than in 1995. Prevention is key, and to succeed in this we need to involve all stakeholders, producers and consumers.
Member States will now be obliged to provide waste-management and waste-prevention plans, focusing policymakers at EU, national and local level on prevention, thereby triggering an increase in waste-prevention policies.
I welcome the amendments of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety calling for binding targets to stabilise waste production at anticipated 2008 levels by 2012 and calling for greater reuse and recycling to reduce pressure on landfill sites.
We need to engage with the citizens – producers and consumers are equally important. We need to make citizens aware of their current and possible future impact in the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste. Community and local authority recycling facilities need to be practically located and accessible for maximum impact. Our citizens are becoming more conscious of the environment and it is up to us, the politicians, to lead them. The success of the plastic-bag levy in Ireland is an obvious example. Now we need to work together to make prevention a success."@en1
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